Days of Change (Remastered)
by Lady Aran
Summary: After the events aboard the Bottle Ship, life for Samus Aran has grown quiet as she attempts to give this thing called Life a try. But, as she quickly learns, even Life itself can turn into a mission in which adaptation is required should she desire to make the most of it. Will she choose to adapt to its many facets, or will her past as a lone hunter become too much to overcome?
1. Chaos and the Aftermath (Part One)

**Author's Notes:** Forget what you thought you knew of this story. "Days of Change" has been completely re-written/edited from top to bottom and nothing is as it was in the original, so much in fact that I deleted the original version to make way for this remastered version. While you guys might be asking why I took the original down, I can only tell you it's because I wasn't truly happy with a lot of its aspects. That is the honest truth. I can't explain it any better than that. That said, I do hope you, the reader, find this new version to be a fulfilling experience. I certainly enjoyed rewriting it. Sit back and enjoy the ride!

By the way, since this is the second fic in my "Destiny Interrupted: Remastered" series, the first having been The Bottle Ship Incident, it would be a good idea to read that one first, just so you're familiar.

I'd also like to dedicate this work to my lovely and supportive Lady (you know who you are ;)) and fellow Adamus shippers Legendary Swordsman, JayRain and theeternalrival1.

* * *

 **Chapter I: Chaos and The Aftermath (Part 1) (Day 63)**

To call the main room of the apartment chaos was an understatement. Documents, speckled with blood and torn to shreds, lay scattered about the gray carpeted floor like bits of white confetti. Simple knick-knacks and other useless, purely decorative, trinkets lay scattered into a million, tiny pieces. A hole the size of a woman's fist pierced the wall behind the sectional sofa. Sectional pillows had been tossed about the room with reckless abandon... The living room had become a mirror image of the emotions that raged within her - anger overlapped anxiety, happiness broke into sadness. Speckles of blood, much like tiny breadcrumbs in a forest, dotted the hole in the wall and traveled downward to the floor behind the sectional, right next to where bounty hunter and mercenary, Samus Aran had been sitting, with her knees to her chest, for nearly an hour now.

The blond woman panted heavily, feeling like she would be sick at any moment. Her blue-green eyes shut tight, ocular patterns dancing in the darkness. The knuckles of her right hand, bleeding and painted with purple and blue bruises, throbbed in pain and had no doubt already begun to swell. It was a pain she welcomed, however. Anything to keep her mind from re-focusing on what had caused her to explode in the first place. Drawing a shaky breath, Samus opened her eyes and greeted reality once more. Next to her on the floor where her bruised hand lay in defeat, was that which had caused her to fly into a rage a mere sixty minutes earlier.

A positive pregnancy test.

As she lifted her head from her knees, Samus shot the little stick a venomous glare. The little plus sign, the bastard that it was, was mocking her: " _Congratulations!"_ it seemed to say with a smile that made her want to puke, or "redecorate" the bedroom.

Irritated, she angrily reached over her crumpled form with her left hand and clutched the stick in her grasp, only to throw the notion of impending motherhood across the room with enough force to create another hole in the wall. At least, that's what she wished would happen. Unfortunately, she wasn't so lucky, and the stick merely bounced off the wall and landed on the floor near the door to the apartment.

She gave the stick another glare as it lay there on the floor. It still smiled at her. Her eyebrows furrowed together, anger – not at the one partially responsible for this...thing inside her, but at herself – flared once again at a near fever pitch. A moment of weakness, of letting her walls down, had created this...thing, this cursed parasite that was now calling her body home. _It's called a condom, Sammy,_ she told herself. Hell, even the Chozo knew about protection. Abstinence, in this case, but protection nonetheless. _How could you let this happen? You, of all people._

To be fair, however, seeing that little plus sign for the first time had been just as much a shock to Samus as it would no doubt be to Adam as well. After her lengthy and dangerous Phazon corruption some years ago, she'd just assumed the exposure had rendered her sterile. When the nausea and vomiting came on some weeks after her intimate encounter with Adam aboard her Gunship, Samus initially thought nothing of it, believing it was just a virus and would pass with a good night's sleep, odd as it was; Samus rarely, if ever, fell ill thanks in part to her modified DNA. Even as odd as it was for her to get sick, however, Samus never once thought there was a possibility she could be pregnant.

Her mind drifted back to the less complicated period in her life as a bounty hunter and mercenary. At least things had been simpler back then. Sign a contract. Finish the mission. Get paid. Move on to the next one. Slowly rid the galaxy of the shit and help create (and maintain) a peaceful universe. Yep, things had been a hell of a lot simpler back then. But she'd been through hell and back countless times throughout the course of the war, and was frankly running on fumes by the time she'd been commissioned to help investigate the Bottle Ship with General Malkovich and his men. And after the horrors aboard the Bottle Ship, she'd decided – with some reserve – to take Adam up on his offer and live with him for a while, or at least until the cocktail of anti-depressants she'd been prescribed kicked in and started putting her in a more stable frame of mind. Judging by the chaotic nature of the living room, however, Samus was less than optimistic of the chances of the medications working, to say the least.

And now, of all the bat shit crazy things to have happened to her in her life and career, finding out she was pregnant had to be by far the craziest thing to have happened to her yet.

Her heart skipped a beat suddenly as thoughts of the future invaded her mind: _And just how the hell are you going to go on missions when you're as big as a planet and having to waddle everywhere you go? What's gonna happen if you have to birth the kid while in space, in that ship of yours – or on some god-forsaken planet?_

This and more gnawed ceaselessly at her brain, filling her with a sense of unease that bordered on sheer panic.

"Get a grip, damn it." she mused out loud in the silence of the living room. From her place on the floor, she noted the time on the device she wore around her wrist. Ten till three. He'd be home any minute now, back from the errands he had gone off to run regarding his new position as an instructor at the Federation Army Academy. Suddenly, she could feel her heart resume its sickening thud. How would she explain this to him?

A darkness soon filled her, born from the depths of her fear and desperation. **"You're a killer, Sammy. This should be no problem for you to... handle..."** the dark voice told her from somewhere deep within the pit of her soul.

The devil on her shoulder ceaselessly reminded her that bounty hunters - especially ones of such a savage caliber as herself - didn't bring life into this world, they eliminated it from the world. They ruined families and civilizations. They formed no attachment. Only the results mattered; though the pay didn't hurt, either.

 **"Just get rid of it and move on with your life. He doesn't even have to know... You wouldn't exactly be Mother of the Year, anyway..."**

The voice gnawed at her, fed on her doubt and fear, and only grew in relentlessness until all she could think about was that one word that, for all intents and purposes, had come to define her: killer. Throughout her career, she'd killed hundreds, possibly thousands, and single-handedly brought vile organizations to their knees. She had even destroyed entire planets. Soon, bile rose in her esophagus - had she really become such a vile thing as a killer, a Goddess of Death clad in Chozo armor?

Horrified, Samus shook her head and began to rationalize with the devil on her shoulder. She didn't kill because she wanted to, or because she gained pleasure from it or seen it as some kind of twisted sport or amusement. She killed because she had to, because there simply was no one else able enough to do it. It's what she had been built for all those years ago on Zebes when she was a mere child. And that would never change.

Even with this reasoning, the devil on her shoulder remained as cunning and persistent as ever: **"Call it what you wish, Sammy. The fact remains that you are still the most trusted soldier of those flightless turkeys that took you in. They sure as hell didn't take you in to coddle you and raise you as their own - they did it because they needed a new experiment! And what better than to experiment on something unable to give consent! You are their Magnum Opus, Aran!"**

"Shut up!" Samus yelled, her voice falling on deaf ears in the silence. She pinched her eyes shut again, hoping that her doubt would eventually ebb off into hell with the rest of her victims. But just as she was about to scream in frustration, Samus suddenly heard the hissing of the front door sliding open and quickly looked up, her vision trained on the open door.

"Who's there?!" she said aloud, but quickly relaxed at the sight of a familiar face.

Adam Malkovich. Her Adam. One of the most revered Generals of the Federation Army and her proverbial rock. A ruggedly handsome man, Adam stood just an inch taller than Samus, dressed in a navy blue dress shirt, black slacks and black leather loafers. His midnight black hair glowed softly beneath the overhead lights. His gray eyes were clear and calm, quietly observing the chaos around him.

Seeing him dressed in such a way, Samus suddenly remembered they were going to the local performance hall to catch a famous writer's latest masterpiece later tonight. Though much still weighed on her mind, Samus still couldn't help but smile gently at this. Adam was the cultured one, always reading or doing something cerebral. Always read the Federation Tribune in the morning. Rarely watched holo-vision, but did occasionally enjoy watching something along the lines of a mystery or crime drama. He also tended to always be thinking one step ahead of his Other Half.

Samus preferred watching or playing sports, reading of an occasional book, quiet meditation. Above all, she seemed to enjoy keeping herself moving, lest she stop and think about what she'd left behind. Her dangerous career, the fat paychecks, the thrill of hunting a bounty, the solitude. She left all of it and more behind her the night she'd made love with this man standing mere feet away from her.

Her slight smile soon faded as she watched him survey the room and the damage she'd caused, his face contorting into a look of mild concern. His voice, however, conveyed his usual calmness and wit. "I see you've had a busy day redecorating the place."

Despite her sullen mood, Samus felt a smile tug at her lips again. "Well, shit. I thought the place could use a little...something." she replied with a slight grin. "Gives the place a feeling of warmth, don't you think?"

Adam gave a half-hearted grin before making his way through the mess left behind by Hurricane Aran, tip-toeing over broken trinkets and sectional pillows before coming to a stop in front of her, only to take a knee. His dark eyes met Samus's own, then focused on the drops of crimson on the wall behind her. Realizing what he had spotted, Samus quickly tried to hide her self-induced injury behind her back, but it didn't take long for the throbbing pain in her digits to force her hand back to her side.

His eyes had smelled blood in the water, and immediately trained themselves on her hand. "What's wrong with your hand, Samus?"

"It's nothing, really." she replied in an almost shy tone that was atypical of her.

Adam's keen sense of observation reflected in his voice, his index finger pointing at the hole several feet above her head. "That hole in the wall and blood beg to differ, Lady. You can tell me."

Her gaze averted his, her tone nonchalant. "I just got angry, that's all. Better this stuff than a person, right?"

The confession was enough to tell him everything he needed to know. He was well aware of her temper and had been since the day their paths crossed all those years ago. But he also knew the reason for such a temper, something no one else knew about. "Yes, I suppose so, Lady." Adam gently took the bounty hunter's right hand and began to examine it intensely. After a few moments he spoke conclusively. "Looks like you may have broken or fractured it, Samus. The way the knuckles are swollen and your reluctance to move it are indicative of a broken hand. Does it hurt?"

Samus nearly felt like laughing. "So now you're a Medic, huh?" she teased. "And come on, Adam. You've known me how many cycles now? You know I have a high pain tolerance."

A slight smile crept across Adam's lips as he leaned in to kiss her. "Yes, I know, Lady. But still, somebody has to worry about you."

Samus swallowed the lump in her throat as her heartbeat quickened. This feeling welling up within her was not arousal, however, but trepidation. For nearly ninety minutes now, she had been wracking her brain trying to come up with a way to tell him - or ways to avoid telling him for that matter - the reason behind the chaos around them "...Adam." she began, her voice nearly shaking. Her palms began to sweat. Her stomach grew queasier. "I need to tell you something..."

Adam's rugged face turned attentive. "I'm all ears."

Samus took a deep breath and shook her head of the cobwebs. "The hole in the wall, the papers everywhere, my hand... It's because I lost my temper. Again."

As soon as she said this, Samus began to curse at herself - of course he knew how this mess had happened. She had merely stated the obvious. _Real good job there, Sammy._

Samus sighed, combing her fingers through her straight blond tresses, frustrated that the words, though on her tongue, refused to come out right. "I mean - shit of course you already knew that. " her hand moved from her hair to cover one side of her head. She could feel the beginnings of a headache near her temple. "I... I just found out I'm pregnant, Adam. That's why I lost my temper."

The revelation exploded within his mind. For a moment, he had to tell himself that he had in fact heard her correctly the first time. Samus Aran was pregnant with his child. It nearly seemed impossible, given her exposure to highly corrosive agents during her travels, the most dangerous of which had been Phazon. He was well aware of its mutagenic properties during the war, having seen the effects it had had on Samus during the crisis on Phaaze. She'd been on the verge of total corruption at the time, her body and armor having taken on an almost blinding, radioactive blue glow. Somehow, however, she'd managed to survive the corruption while her fellow hunters succumbed to its effects.

"...Lady." Adam had a seat next to her on the floor and guided her body into his arms. He could feel her melt into his form, her head taking refuge on his broad shoulder...and her tears dotting the collar of his dress shirt. Even Adam was having a hard time putting his thoughts into words. "I'm not doubting you, but...are you sure? How many tests did you take?"

"Just the one. I threw it at the front door after I punched the wall." Samus replied while wiping her eyes with the hem of her gray long sleeve shirt. An admission soon pushed forth from her parched lips, "For the first time in my life, I think I'm actually terrified. I mean, I've been before but this...it's a different kind of terror, Adam."

Adam held her tighter. He could feel her athletic form melting further into his own, and her hand lightly trembling on his shoulder. His voice took on a supportive tone. "You don't have to go it alone anymore. We'll get through this together. Believe me, Samus. Whatever you decide, I'll support you one-hundred percent. You have my word."

But Samus remained skeptical. "But what makes you so certain we'll get through this? Have you forgotten what I did – and still do - for a living? Committing planetary genocide, being gone for extended periods of time? Losing my temper at the drop of a hat? Killing for money? That hardly qualifies me to be a mother. Besides, I can't have a kid. Not with all this blood on my hands."

"I'm not trying to influence your decision, Samus, but that's a completely misguided notion. Your profession does not dictate whether or not you will be a supportive and nurturing parent - your actions do. However, I'd also be lying if I didn't think there were some individuals who probably shouldn't have children, regardless of their profession. But I digress."

Samus regarded him seriously. "No argument there, but other people aren't the issue right now. I am. We are. And right now, I want you to tell me the unbiased truth – if you didn't know me, and you found out somebody like me – a semi-human bioweapon with a lengthy criminal record and mental health issues, a bounty hunter and mercenary – was pregnant, what would be your immediate thought?"

"People can change." Adam replied. "It's just a question of how much they're willing to do so."

"Fair enough. But what if they aren't able to change, no matter how much they try, due to something having been... hardwired into them when they were small and helpless?"

Adam regarded the building tears in her eyes, the memories of her past coming to haunt her once more. "Well...then they just do the best they can, and hope it's enough." he replied gently before pulling her close once more. "At least they can say they tried. And that's all any of us can do in our lives. Just try."

Samus felt her doubt and anxiety fade just a tad. "...Do you really think we can do this? I mean, with your new job at the academy and... my job? Babies can't be cheap, even I know that. And they aren't something you can just put in a corner and forget about."

Adam kissed the top of her head, "I do, Lady. Finances won't be a problem, either. And you're right, they're living creatures, not objects. But it's ultimately up to you how you want to proceed."

But the financial security wasn't the only thing she was concerned about, though there were so many it was hard to rank them according to importance. Paramount among them was the fact that she hadn't the slightest clue about pregnancy or child-rearing for that matter; she was still learning how to adapt to a human society herself. And doing it while pregnant? Well, that almost seemed impossible.

But then again, Samus was used to being able to do the impossible. One way or another.

"It's all so much to consider, Adam." Samus noted, sounding overwhelmed. "...And I'm not even sure I want this child, at least...not right now, anyway. I just can't think straight at the moment."

Adam nodded. "It is, I know. And this is perfectly fine. We'll just go about this cautiously, all right? Starting with getting you, and your hand, checked out."

Samus moved her hand from Adam's shoulder to his chest. "Do you... mind if we do that instead of going to the opera, Adam? Save that for another time? I'm sorry." Anything, even a trip to the doctor, was better than having to sit in a stuffy auditorium and be bored for two hours.

The opera could wait for as long as need be. What mattered most to Adam right now was making sure Samus, her hand, and their possible child were taken care of. "...No objections, Lady."


	2. Chaos and the Aftermath (Part Two)

**Author's Notes:** This chapter may make mention of procedures some might find uncomfortable. Don't worry, I was kind enough to spare you most of the details. :) And just in case you were wondering, a "cycle" is basically another word for "year".

 **Chapter 2: Chaos and the Aftermath (Part Two)(Day 63)**

* * *

Samus felt the eyes of humans and humanoids alike all around her as she sat with Adam in the waiting room of a nearby medical building. Again. Their first trip had been to make sure Samus's hand wasn't broken. It wasn't, but she did sustain a few fractured carpals and bruising; her hand was fitted with a protective guard and Samus was given strict orders to keep it on for a few weeks to promote healing. Adam would make sure of it, knowing how stubborn the woman could be when it came to her well-being.

Sitting next to her, Adam didn't seem bothered by all the gawking and staring. Instead, he just kept on reading from the pocket-sized tablet he carried with him everywhere. He'd learned a long time ago how to block out distractions and had more or less perfected the act of doing so early on in his career.

Meanwhile, Samus could only wish she possessed such a gift. While she kept calm and indifferent during missions, she had not yet found a way to make use of it in a social setting. But she was trying any way she could. Counting the ceiling tiles, reading an outdated and weathered maganize about gardening. But counting and reading had done nothing to distract her. A sigh left her as her eyes focused on the floor, her shoes, anything but the unease of feeling so many eyes upon her, secretly judging her. Or worse, remembering her from somewhere.

"What's taking so fucking long?" she mumbled to Adam, clearly frustrated by the pace of the situation. "This makes Hell runs look like a walk in the park."

Adam looked up from his tablet, having felt the energy of his Other Half ripple with anxiety and held her hand; she only cursed this much when she was either angry or nervous. While in either of these emotional states, she had a mouth that could even make a space pirate blush, and a temper to match. "Just try to calm down, Sam. It'll be your turn soon."

Samantha "Sam" Bailey. It was the alias Samus used when confirming her appointment and filling out what little she knew of her medical history. Though she figured most only knew her infamous Power Suit rather than the woman beneath it, Samus had opted to play it safe and sign in using a pseudonym. Her only hope now was that none of the other patients happened to recognize her outside of her suit.

"Yeah...right. When Norfair freezes over, you mean." Samus replied before taking a few deep breaths to steady herself and the sudden nausea rolling through her stomach. She reached into the interior right breast pocket of her green military-style jacket and pulled out a small clear package. Biscuit rations. Though they weren't at all pleasing to her palate (and frankly tasted like death itself), she unceremoniously stuffed two in her mouth, hoping it would soothe the waves in her belly.

But her sickness would not - could not - be stalled, and Samus suddenly emptied the contents of her stomach mere inches away from her feet. The guttural sounds of sickness caused the other patients to react with surprise and to a certain extent, disgust. Adam immediately perked up upon hearing the sound of his partner retching and rubbed her back as she remained seated and bent at the waist. She could only hope with every fiber of her being that this little incident wouldn't be in the news tomorrow morning. She could almost see the tabloid headline now: _Bounty Hunter Bombshell Blows Chunks – the Reason Behind her Visit to local Hospital!_ It was all she'd needed during this already difficult time in what was supposed to be a fresh start in her life.

A random nurse came from somewhere behind closed doors as a few of the other patients stood to approach the curdled mess on the floor, whispering amongst themselves with keen interest. "Stop gawking like it's the first time you've ever seen someone vomit; let the woman be, please! Everyone please go back to your seats." she said, making a sweeping motion with her hand.

"Adam...I'm sorry." Samus whispered, still hunched over.

Adam bent over, his hand finding the middle of her back. His voice was soft, the back rubs continuing in a slowly paced rhythm. "Don't be, Lady. It's all right." He looked up to see the nurse bent over his partner. "Could you tell me where the nearest restroom is, please?" he asked, grateful for the nurse's compassion, but also wishing she would stopping fussing over her.

"Of course, sir. If you go through the door nearest the receptions desk, you'll find the restroom a few doors down."

"Thank you."

Wrapping his arm around Samus' shoulder and gripping her upper arm with his free hand, Adam proceeded to stand as Samus leaned into his left side. As they were about to leave, however, another nurse came from the hallway with data pad in hand and loudly announced Samus's alias. Samus attempted to cover her face in spite of the continued gawking. Something in the back of her mind told her – or more like screamed at her – trying to do so was useless; somebody in here would recognize her behind the dark sunglasses, or perhaps already had. Suddenly, the waiting room erupted with whispered exchanges between the other patients:

 _"Hey, haven't we seen her somewhere before?"_

" _Honey,_ _that gorgeous blond lady that just got sick... Isn't she that bounty hunter who took down the Space Pirates and blew up Zebes? I know I've seen her somewhere! He looks familiar, too!"_

Samus heard this and more as Adam guided her back in the direction of the nurse. _"_ Great. It's only a matter of time before those headlines come rushing in," Samus groaned to Adam, "And if I hear about it – and I will – the shit is going to hit the fan," she added, vehement in her threat. And somewhere deep down inside, Adam knew it would, too, if not for her sudden exhaustion.

The General attempted to direct her energy elsewhere. "Never mind that. Do you want me to go with you?"

"I don't care. Just get me the hell out of here, please." she replied monotonously.

* * *

After her height, weight, temperature and other vitals were recorded by the nurse - who was understandably keeping her distance from her fervent patient - Samus walked down the hall into an empty exam room and was told to strip down to nothing, pull a gown on and wait for the doctor. Samus did so with the utmost reluctance while Adam had a seat in a nearby chair. Afterward, she sat on the exam table and began to nervously play with her fingers.

"Lady, relax." Adam said calmly.

Her voice grew sharp, tense, and too big for the small room. "That's easy for you to say. You're not the one who may or may not be pregnant and just vomited in public!"

Of course it was easy for him to say such a thing, she was right. He wasn't the one burdened with sustaining another life within himself. So perhaps, he reasoned, he did deserve to get his head bitten off. "...You're right, I'm sorry. I deserved that."

Samus glanced up from her joined hands and sighed in frustration. "No, Adam. No you didn't. I know you're just trying to help. I'm just nervous. I just want this to be over with. You know how much I hate doctors." she replied apologetically.

"I understand, Lady. No need to apologize. It's all right."

After some agonizing minutes of waiting, the doctor made her presence known by softly knocking on the door before allowing herself inside the small exam room. The woman was an average height, somewhere between the ages of forty-five and fifty-five, curvy, with short brown hair and a slightly plump face pleasing to the eye. She had a professional, yet comfortable air about her as she outstretched her hand to Samus. "Hello, Mrs. Bailey. My name is Margaret Livingston and I will be overseeing your care. How are you today?"

Samus struggled to smile. "I've been better." she deadpanned, hands clutched at her stomach in an almost protective manner.

Dr. Livingston turned to address Adam. "Hello. It's nice to meet you. And you must be the partner, Mr. Bailey I take it?" she asked with a smile.

Adam shook her hand, deciding to play along with the ruse Samus had created. "Yes. I'm Adam. It's a pleasure to meet you as well, doctor." he replied simply before taking a seat again.

Dr. Livingston beckoned Adam with her hand as she stood in front of her new patient. "Don't be shy; you're very much welcomed to join your partner. Besides, I don't bite." she smiled.

Adam looked to Samus for confirmation. Her eyes were hinting for his presence. He got up and stood next to her for support.

Dr. Livingston simply smiled before looking over her newest patient's data file. Samantha Bailey. Human female. Twenty-eight cycles old. Six-feet, two-inches in length. Two-hundred pounds. Blood type Unknown. Date of birth Unknown. While she considered it fairly normal for a patient to be unsure of their blood type, the same could not really be said when it came to date of birth. The OB-GYN looked up at Samus, a bit confused. "You left your date of birth empty, Mrs. Bailey. Any particular reason?"

Samus immediately felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end and felt like lashing out at the woman. Sensing as much, Adam quickly interjected. "My wife suffered a traumatic brain injury when she was younger that severely damaged the area of the brain responsible for long-term memory. She was born March 18th, 2053."

Samus gave him a sideways glance, wondering where the hell that excuse had come from, but was grateful for it nonetheless. The doctor gave both of them a quick nod and smile before walking over to the floating sink and washed her hands before putting on a pair of simple latex gloves and having a seat in front of Samus' closed legs. She proceeded to drape a white towel over them. "Okay, then. Perfectly understandable, thank you Adam. In concerns to the blood type, I'm going to put a call in to the lab and ask that you have them take a sample. Would you be willing to do that, Mrs. Bailey?"

Samus was hesitant. Disclosing her date of birth was one thing. Disclosing her blood type was another thing altogether. Once they analyzed her blood and discovered her genetic link to the long-forgotten Chozo it would be all over. All over the news, that was.

"...No, I wouldn't." she was finally able to say. "That information is private."

"Are you certain, Mrs. Bailey? It will be of great importance should anything arise dur-."

Samus remained firm in her decision and promptly interjected, "I said no and I mean it!"

The small room grew uncomfortably quiet and tense before the doctor finally cleared her throat and moved on. "Very well. That is your right, Mrs. Bailey. Now then, what I'd like you to do for me Samantha – may I call you Samantha? - is prop your feet into these stirrups and scoot down so that your bottom is almost hanging off the table."

Samus was wrong. So very, very wrong. Things could, and had just gotten, worse. Much worse. She tried to remain in control of her response, but was finding it difficult. "Sam is fine...and why do you want me to do that? I thought we were here to see if I'm pregnant or not?!"

The doctor, somewhat casually, addressed her patient's concerns. "Of course. And don't worry, you are, Mrs. Bailey. I would normally examine you via abdominal ultrasound, but because you may or may not be in the early stages of gestation, doing it vaginally provides a clearer look inside your uterus and is better able to determine a possible gestation and its age. Pardon me for asking but, is this the first time you've had a pelvic exam?"

The hunter immediately drew a blank, unsure of how to answer the question. Naturally, the Chozo hadn't exactly stressed the importance of the well-being of the human female reproductive system, not being human themselves. She felt herself blush under the harsh florescent lighting and averted her gaze away from the doctor to the floor tiles. "I...I don't know. What exactly is a pelvic exam?"

The doctor could only sympathize with the woman in front of her. It was clear to her that her patient was feeling very nervous and unsure about the whole procedure at the moment, and so she treated the situation accordingly. "I see. Would you like me to explain the procedure for you, Sam? That way you'll at least know what to expect?"

Samus nodded hesitantly.

After explaining the procedure and its aspects in a way that wouldn't frighten her, Dr. Livingston readied the ultrasound terminal and apparatus. "Are you ready now, Mrs. Bailey?"

Samus nodded before glancing at Adam out of the corner of her left eye and taking his hand, focusing her entire attention on the warmth of his touch. She quietly began to muse to herself while the doctor prepared the apparatus with a clear blue gel. She'd battled creatures great and small, suffered life-threatening injury, Phazon corruption and countless other tribulations...and yet, as she lay here with her legs spread before a stranger, albeit a well-meaning one, she was quite simply experiencing the most uncomfortable - and awkward - moment in her entire adult life. Words had all but escaped her, and were soon replaced by cold discomfort as the transducer slowly entered her.

Adam leaned into her grip as her entire body suddenly tensed. The woman had the strength of a behemoth, and he was almost certain she had unintentionally broken his hand. "You're tensing, Sam. You need to relax so the doctor can do her job, okay? Just relax. Try to breathe."

Samus gritted her teeth and began to breathe deep and remain focused on the ceiling. _10...11...12..._ she counted, wishing the pressure and cold, slimy gel would just hurry up and go away.

The doctor pushed a button on the ultrasound terminal, activating the terminal screen. "Excellent, Sam. You did great. See, that wasn't so bad, was it? If you and Adam will take a look at this screen for a moment."

Samus turned her focus away from the ceiling to the terminal screen. Adam's attention was already fixed on it. Soon, before their very eyes, a crystal-clear image appeared of what looked like a vaguely human form with stubby arms, legs, torso and an abnormally large head. To Samus, it looked much more like an alien than a human.

Dr. Livingston pointed at the screen, her crows feet crinkling beneath a smile. "Congratulations! This here is your baby," She drew a circle on the terminal screen with her finger, "And this little pulsing spot here is the heartbeat."

Samus, overcome, propped herself on her elbows as her eyes remained fixed on the monitor. She felt like the air had been sucked out of her chest. "...It...That... That's it?"

The OB-GYN smiled. "Fascinating, isn't it? This is the beginning of your baby, what we officially call a _fetus_ at this point; you look to be around nine weeks, which means you should deliver sometime between the end of August and the beginning of September of this cycle. The fetus looks to be developing just fine, no abnormalities whatsoever. I know it might look a little strange right now but trust me, that will rapidly change. Do either of you have any questions?"

Samus, in her shock, remained silent. All she could do was stare at the screen and that little pulsating dot: _Thump. Thump. Thump..._

Noticing that Samus had more or less shut down inside, Adam soon spoke for the both of them, "We do, but could you excuse us for a minute, doctor?"

Dr. Livingston nodded, the exam now finished. "Yes, of course. I understand. Feel free to join me in my office when you are both ready. It's just further down this hall and to the right."

With the doctor now absent from the room, Samus silently allowed the tears to fall down her cheeks as Adam took a position beside her and started stroking her shoulder. He could only imagine what she was feeling at this very moment. He did, however, have a pretty good idea.

"Samus...? Talk to me, please." he asked gently.

Samus looked up at him, still in shock. "...What would you like me to say?" she replied in that monotone voice Adam knew to mean she had completely shut down inside. He could tell right away that she was in no mood to talk in such a public area. Perhaps the warm security of home would allow her to open up on a more personal level. He handed Samus her clothes. "We'll talk about this in private - at home - all right, Lady?"

Samus inhaled sharply as she clutched her clothes to her chest. "...Yeah."

Adam looked her over one last time before heading for the door. The way she sounded and acted concerned him. It did not, however, surprise him. After all, she had just been told she was pregnant with his child. Like him, Samus too believed she'd become sterile. So it had come as a rather big surprise to both of them that their night together had created a child. "I'll wait for you outside, Lady."

Samus was left to her thoughts and emotions. No words could explain what she was feeling at this very moment, the image of her unborn child still fresh in her mind. Her hand drifted to rest against her abdomen and stayed in that position for a few moments. Beneath her fingertips, skin and muscle there was a human being growing inside of her. Her, The Hatchling. The Chosen One. The Hunter. It somehow both terrified and excited her in ways nothing ever had before. She, legendary bounty hunter, Samus Aran, was pregnant.

When she joined him in the hallway minutes later, Adam appeared strangely relieved at the sight of her. "Is everything all right?"

Samus cocked her brow, curious. "I suppose. Why?"

Adam shook his head before putting his hands into his pockets. "No reason. I guess we shouldn't keep Dr. Livingston waiting."

* * *

Though the door was slid open a bit, Adam still knocked out of courtesy.

The doctor pushed a button on her desk to open the door. She calmly offered them to join her at her desk just as she was finishing up some documents. Samus and Adam sat next to each other and quietly watched as Dr. Livingston placed the final touches on what looked like a prescription and paperwork of some kind. Afterwards, she looked up from her papers, folded her hands atop her desk, and presented them with her full, undivided attention. "Thank you for being so patient. However, there are still matters we must discuss - this is your time to address any questions or concerns either of you may have. No question is silly or ignorant, so do not be afraid to ask me anything."

 _She seems approachable enough_ , Samus thought as she listened to the doctor speak. _Open, honest, very professional. But still a stranger. I wouldn't put it past her to go to the media and give them all the juicy details about her intimate little encounter with me..._ Though Samus thought she'd mellowed just a bit since settling down, she was still finding it extremely difficult to trust people outside of her immediate circle and to be open with them. She'd only been "retired" from the only life she'd ever known for three months and she was still learning how to keep her past and present separate, unsure if they would ever truly exist as separate entities. But for the sake of Adam and their new baby, she would try. _I guess I'll just have to keep my eyes out for anything suspicious, but try not to be a paranoid weirdo about it..._

Some thirty minutes later, on the way back to their apartment, Adam couldn't help but notice that Samus was being extremely quiet. Out of respect for her space, however, he didn't bother to push the issue. Instead, he quietly kept to himself as they made their way slowly through rush hour traffic.

* * *

Once back within the private confines of their apartment, Samus quietly announced her exit to their bedroom due to fatigue and queasiness, forgetting about the chaotic mess she'd created earlier, while Adam took a seat at the small dining room table to read over the many documents and tablet books the doctor had so kindly provided to them. Strangely, he thought it to be a nice change of pace from the numerous military documents he had to read through during his lengthy workday. Intel, tactical data...or, more recently, cadet performance. There was nothing of the sort here. Just paragraphs detailing what was going to happen to Samus - both inside and out - in the coming months, how to deal with potential symptoms, and ways to strengthen their relationship during this "very exciting time" in both their lives.

But Samus was finding it anything but exciting, as a guttural sound from the bedroom suddenly brought him from the text.

The lights of their spacious bedroom had been intentionally dimmed, casting the room in a soft amber glow. Standing in the doorway, Adam could barely make out Samus laying on the bed, dressed in a simple tank top and sweats. Her limbs had taken no liberty to spare any part of the large king-sized bed. Upon closer inspection, he noticed her face looked rather flushed and clammy in appearance.

"...Samus?"

Samus placed her good hand on her mid-section, her voice weak. "...Adam? I...threw up again."

"I heard."

Samus draped her arm over her eyes, embarrassed. "Shit. You heard that?"

Adam allowed himself some room to sit next to her, his hand finding hers as it rested against her stomach. "It's no big deal, Lady. I've heard worse."

Samus moved her hand from underneath Adam's, only to switch positions so that his was now below hers; her fingers laced themselves through his. In a moment she quickly attributed to hormones, Samus felt her eyes beginning to burn with tears. "I'm sorry you have to see me like this."

"I know, but don't worry. I won't think any less of you if that's what you mean." Adam moved to kiss her forehead.

Samus could smell the cool scent of his aftershave. She loved that smell. It damn near intoxicated her. Before she became pregnant, that is. Now, however, she found that once intoxicating smell to be nausea-inducing and promptly retched, quickly pushing Adam away from her. "Get off!"

Samus ran to the bathroom to empty her stomach for the second time in ten minutes, but only sounds of dry heaving could be heard from inside.

Some moments later, the normally hardy warrior leaned against the doorway to the bathroom, the color drained from her face. Adam approached her and brought his arms around her gently. Samus melted into his warm and welcoming embrace and snuggled against his broad chest. She could feel his soft, gentle touches upon her back, and felt as though she could stay this way the remainder of the night which, for all intents and purposes, looked as though it would be quite long and sleepless.

Adam buried his cheek into her blond hair. "I've got you, Lady. " he whispered. "Take as much time as you need."

Their embrace lasted for a few moments before Samus deemed herself ready to make the walk to their bed; with fatigue settling in heavily by this point in the still rather early night, Adam made the suggestion - against much protest from his stubborn partner - that she try to sleep.

"I'm fine, Adam. Really." she noted. She closed her eyes and sighed as the plush mattress hugged her body.

"I was merely making a suggestion. You need your rest. It's important for both of you."

Samus sat up slowly, her chest and stomach aching. "I can't, there's too much on my mind. I mean, me, pregnant? It almost feels like something out of a dream, or a nightmare. And yet, it feels too real to be anything but reality. And it scares the shit out of me."

"You're not the only one, Lady…" Adam admitted as he had a seat next to her.

Samus looked at him in surprise. "What? Don't tell me… You… You're scared too? The great General and military genius, Adam Malkovich, is scared of a little baby?" she teased.

Adam grinned, knowing that she was secretly enjoying getting her licks in. "I get the idea. Besides, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared. This isn't like a mission in the military, where when you complete it, it just ends and you move on to the next one. You can't just forget about a child - there are responsibilities involved, ones that can't be overlooked. A child is a life-changing commitment. So, yes, Samus Aran, I am a bit scared." Adam drew a long breath. "But I'm also excited. To say I wasn't would also be a lie."

Her interest piqued behind curious blue-green eyes. "Oh? Well then, I'll let you carry the child in your abdomen for seven months," she grinned mockingly. "It may not have been possible way back when, but it sure as hell is now." Samus added in jest.

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" Adam replied with a grin. Somehow, however, something told him she may have not been kidding about that.

Samus couldn't keep a wide grin from twisting her lips, nor could she keep from chuckling despite her sore stomach. "Me? Nonsense; I mention it only in passing…" After a few moments of silence, the conversation returned to seriousness. "I'm having real doubt about this, Adam. Doubts about myself… And this baby."

"It's all right to have doubts, Samus. But… I want us to engage in discussions as often as possible. I'm serious, Samus - anytime you want to talk, I'll be here. Remember, it's my baby, too."

Samus remembered the discussion with the doctor about her choices should she decide to not keep the child: Place the child for adoption once it was born - she felt her heart ache at this scenario, knowing there was no guarantee that the child would ever have a stable home to call his or her own; and the other, more extreme option… aborting the child as soon as possible - her heart grew even more pained at this option. During her life among the Chozo, Samus had been taught that all life must be respected even as a warrior, and that the taking of another life should not be for ones own satisfaction, but for the greater good of the entire cosmos.

 _I've seen evil. I know full well what it looks like... And my child isn't. But does the universe really need another Samus Aran? Answer me, Grandpa..._

"Lady?"

Samus was brought from her reverie. "Yes?"

"Everything all right?" Adam replied, noticing the dreamy look in her eyes.

Though it was still early in the evening, Samus could no longer hold off the need to rest. "Yes, Adam. You know, maybe I will try to sleep after all." she noted before laying down again.

Adam came to his feet. "All right," he said before heading for the door. "I'll be in the main room. Remember Samus, let me know if you need anything." As he prepared to exit, however, he gave her one last look over his shoulder and grinned. "Or should I say, Samantha Bailey?"

Samus chuckled before swinging the covers out from under her and crawling underneath them. A sigh of relaxation and impending, glorious rest escaped her. "Right…" she whispered before closing her eyes.

Back in the living room of their apartment, Adam began the cleanup of the room, making sure to keep his ears tuned for any sound or sign that he was needed in the bedroom. Later that night, with the living room back to normal and his eyes heavy with sleep, Adam finally drifted off into a much needed slumber.


	3. The Day After

**Chapter 3: The Day After (Day 64)**

* * *

The rest of that night had been less than kind to Samus Aran. Crackers had done nothing to satisfy her appetite – not that she ate much to begin with - nor end her near-constant queasiness. And having to get up every thirty minutes to pee didn't help matters, either. At about two-thirty in the morning, Samus had ultimately admitted defeat and decided to turn the bathtub into a makeshift bed. _Why not, I'm practically living in here anyway_ , she mused to herself, exhausted and sore from her latest round of dry heaving. Without waking Adam, she grabbed her pillow and a simple blanket and tip-toed into the bathroom. Crawling into the tub, she shivered a second at the cool porcelain against the bare skin of her shoulder. Minutes later she fell asleep, hoping it would last longer than ten or fifteen minutes this time.

At around three that morning, Adam woke up to relieve himself, only to discover Samus awkwardly asleep in the tub, her long legs hanging over the edge of it. Strange as he found it, however, he was just glad she was finally able to sleep. It was a deep, welcoming sleep; not even the flush of the toilet roused her. As he made his way from the bathroom, Adam gave his partner one last perplexed glance and dimmed the overhead light.

Later that morning, as bars of gentle winter sunlight filled their bedroom, Adam awoke to find Samus's half of the bed still empty, the sheets cold to his fingertips. As if to remind him of his partner's vacancy, the sudden sound of violent retching echoed from beyond the door separating their bedroom and bathroom. Adam approached the door and gave a gentle knock. While it was clearly obvious that Samus was not well and it was pointless to ask, Adam felt the question leave his mouth anyway: "Samus, are you all right?"

Silence behind the door. More guttural sounds of vomitting. Then, an irritated voice coming from behind deep and heavy breathing, uttering the response he knew was inevitable: "What do you think, smartass?"

Adam managed a grin. At least the morning sickness had done nothing to quell his partner's fiery nature.

In the bathroom, Samus ran her hands under the faucet, splashing her face and neck, her simple heather gray tank top quickly becoming dark and damp. Panting, she scrutinized herself in the mirror. Her usually bright and healthy face was haggard and pale; her lips were parched; her eyes looked puffy and heavy with exhaustion. _This...thing is going to turn me into a monster_ , she thought to herself, unjust in her assumption. She sighed as one of her hands found her midsection. _I'm sorry. I didn't mean that_ , she thought, knowing she had said those words on impulse.

She greeted Adam on the other side of the door. He looked like he was waiting for something, a reply to a question, perhaps. Had he asked her something? Samus had been too caught up in her reflection to notice. "Morning," she said and tried to manage a smile.

"Good morning, Samus. Up for a little breakfast?" he asked calmly.

Samus seemed to perk up just a little bit despite her lingering nausea. She was absolutely starving, having been unable to keep anything down all night and most of yesterday. Her stomach suddenly grumbled rather audibly in the silence. "Does that answer your question?" she asked with a slight grin.

Adam slowly guided her into his arms, chuckling under his breath. "It does, yes. Eggs and toast, Lady?"

"I'd like that. But don't trouble yourself, Adam. I can make my own breakfast." Samus replied.

But Adam, having keenly picked up on the slight uncertainty in her voice, wasn't quite convinced, remembering the first time he'd watched her haphazard attempt at preparing a meal. She'd nearly started a fire in the kitchen; her second attempt hadn't been much better, though at least the kitchen had come out relatively unscathed. There were no fires, at least. "It's no trouble, Lady. Really."

"Oh, all right. Fine." Samus replied. "On second thought...maybe it's better this way. I'm not particularly in the mood to start a fire in your kitchen today. Too tired."

Breakfast went off without a hitch. Samus devoured her two eggs and two slices of toast with gusto while Adam read the Federation Tribune over two cups of coffee and two pieces of toast with jam. He'd never been much of a breakfast person, mostly due to his hectic schedule. This morning's fare had mostly been for Samus, and he was relieved to see that her appetite had returned for the time being.

After breakfast, Samus and Adam sat at the table to discuss what had transpired yesterday at the doctor's office. Adam had said he would support whatever decision Samus came to regarding the child...but Samus wasn't so sure about that. She'd seen the bright look in his eyes during the ultrasound yesterday. That sort of hopeful, child-like excitement she assumed he'd abandoned a long time ago. Or, she had, at least. She had more or less disconnected that part of her the day she became a bounty hunter. Innocence or emotion had no place in her line of work.

But she wasn't a hunter anymore, and the thought of seeing that brightness fade from Adam's eyes nearly choked her up. _Must be the hormones_ , she thought to herself as she listened to Adam voice his thoughts and feelings on the matter. Despite his efforts to try and keep his excitement hidden, Samus could see just how much the prospect of fatherhood excited him. While she should be happy, Samus was finding it difficult to share in his enthusiasm, which only made her choice even more difficult.

"...Lady?"

Samus shook her head of its fog. "Yes? Did you say something?"

Adam was standing now. "I said I have to get ready for work, but we can talk more about this when I get back. OK?"

Samus gave a half-hearted smile, feeling nauseous once more. "Y-yeah, sure."

Adam frowned, noticing the way she'd stammered in her speech. "Are you all right?"

Samus cleared her throat and shifted her focus from the waves in her belly to something else. "Fine. Don't worry about me. You don't want to be late. Get going."

The General smiled softly before kissing the bounty hunter on the cheek. "Remember, call me if you need anything."

Samus waved him off with a sigh. "OK, OK. Now shut up and get going, will you?"

Adam merely smiled before making his way to the front door.

* * *

Later that morning, Samus kept herself busy by reading the handful of documents the doctor had given her…or at least tried to keep herself busy. What she could and couldn't eat while pregnant, what she could and couldn't do, nutrition, exercise. It was almost too much for her to handle at once. Yesterday's revelation still weighed heavily on her mind. Her destiny as a "Galactic Savior" had changed with one slip of her usually stonewalled guard. It was a slip she had not regretted, however, and knew in her heart that it was with a very good reason.

She loved Adam Malkovich. If anything, that one slip had awakened the human being within her, lost for so many years. He'd made her feel warmth and love in her heart, things she hadn't felt in…forever it seemed. So to call their passion a slip was perhaps inaccurate. It was an awakening. Still, that ugly monster of doubt reared its ugly head.

And this is what she was really trying to avoid, but the books and pamphlets were doing nothing to direct her energy elsewhere and she soon found herself thinking about her less than favorable past as a bounty hunter and mercenary once again. It hardly qualified her as mother material. Besides that, she didn't exactly consider herself to have the best character - her temper reason one among many. She also didn't exactly walk down that perfectly narrow path for what was good and just in the universe. No, she considered herself as walking a line between shades of gray, even though she ultimately fought for the greater good and those who cried out for peace. But she was hardly perfect.

 _'But who is perfect?' Adam would probably argue. And to a certain extent, he's right. Nobody is perfect, nor can they ever hope to be. Perfection is an illusion..._ Samus gazed down at the tablet book she was holding, at the smiling, happy baby with the chubby cheeks and bright eyes. _So I'm not perfect like the Chozo intended. Neither are they. That doesn't mean I shouldn't have a child... Or maybe it does. I don't know..._

She blinked away the tears that had started to form. Since when did Samus Aran, intergalactic savior, cry? It had to be the hormones. Those goddamned hormones. She took a deep breath to steady herself and move her focus elsewhere for the time being. Maybe the news would take her mind off of things. It usually did.

She went online via her tablet and began mindlessly scanning through the news sites before stopping suddenly. The nausea that welled up inside of her had nothing to do with her pregnancy. At least, not directly. The headline read: "Famed Bounty Hunter's Doctor's Visit Spurs Speculation."

"Fuck," Samus muttered, torn between anger and embarrassment. She'd made the news before, plenty of times. Blowing up an entire planet or crippling an entire organization wasn't exactly back-page material after all. But this headline, and what she could see of the story through her anger-blurred vision, was about her personally. This was no longer about her actions and their consequences, but her as a person. And she was absolutely furious.

Samus flexed her left hand and eyed the walls, still spattered with blood and in need of repair. Her hand itself was still very sore, the result of a couple broken knuckles and a few fractured carpals. Punching the wall had done nothing before, and it wouldn't do anything now. To remind herself of this fact, she gazed at her right hand and the guard she'd been instructed to wear.

She got up and paced the apartment instead, both glad of Adam's absence and desperately wishing he was here right now to help keep her grounded. He was a military General, which meant more than just combat. He was also skilled in handling politics and the press. Charisma was nearly as important as leading entire brigades, and the man had it in spades in addition to his near infinite supply of patience. But he wasn't here. He was working, but he had to have seen the headlines.

Samus felt trapped. The apartment felt too small. Her abdomen, while it hadn't started showing signs of the growth that was happening internally, still felt too large. Her eyes darted around the rooms as she began to pace through them. It was a nice apartment, but she wasn't made for a home in a city; she wasn't even made for a home on a planet. She'd been born for the stars, trained to wander until she was needed. Settling down wasn't a choice for her, as it wasn't even part of her DNA.

DNA. What would her Chozo DNA do to her child? Would it even make the whole pregnancy viable? The thought of a miscarriage, something out of her control and not on her terms, terrified her. While a termination was no better, at least she could say she'd made the choice on her terms. But she couldn't do it here. The thought of Adam's fallen face and palpable sadness choked her up. No, that was just the hormones talking. Wasn't it?

Samus had never traveled very heavy, and for now she was glad of it. She stuffed her few things into a small duffle bag. She slipped into her boots and leaned against the door for a moment, exhausted. If she went back to bed for a whole day, and then took a nap the next, it still wouldn't be enough. She sighed, knowing it was all she could do to keep from crashing. Once she got into the silence of space she could rest. Her Gunship wasn't restricted access. She was under no orders to tell anyone, least of all Adam, where she planned to take it.

Samus shrugged into a coat and though the day was bright, with no hint of precipitation, she put her hood up and donned a pair of large sunglasses. She exited the apartment without a backward glance, and prayed her stomach and bladder could last her until she got to the safety of her ship.

No one seemed to recognize her in her quick disguise, though Samus felt like all eyes were on her. She felt like everyone could see through the hood and glasses, and their gazes were trained on her abdomen. She could have taken an air taxi, and probably should have, given how exhausted she felt. The night of broken sleep, combined with the way this pregnancy was already taxing her physically, made it hard to keep moving forward. The docking station wasn't terribly far away from their apartment, but it was far enough.

By the time she made it to the airdock entrance and swiped her clearance card, the normally fit fighter was having a hard time standing, and had to stop multiple times to catch her breath. The last time she'd felt so winded, she'd been fighting huge creatures aboard the Bottle Ship. And now this tiny thing inside of her was going to be the death of her.

Samus willed her legs to move her toward her docking bay. A few people were out and about tending to the various ships. She walked past a huge passenger ferry and ducked her head to avoid any extra attention. She paused to lean against a support column. What was she even doing? Where would she go? Federation Space was large, and they'd track her. They'd find her. And then what?

Samus forced herself upright again and kept walking toward the docking section reserved for smaller, personal class ships. Her throat closed up and her eyes welled with tears when she saw her own ship, waiting for her faithfully. The ship meant escape. It meant freedom.

She rested her palm against the entry pad on the underbelly of her ship. The scanners recognized her palm print and the lift descended, allowing her access. Once inside the ship's cold, yet welcoming walls, Samus closed her eyes and inhaled as the whoosh of stale, recycled air came out at her. It was a smell she knew well, and was almost comforting. She made her way through the ship, trailing her good hand across the metal walls and feeling the coolness beneath her fingertips. She paused in front of a display tube. Her blue Zero Suit was inside, and while she longed to put it on, she couldn't quite do it. It would take too much effort, and she was so exhausted it was all she could to keep from collapsing.

Instead, she took the suit from the tube and placed it carefully inside her bag.

She shook her head and dropped her bag off in her sleeping quarters. They were sparse, utilitarian with minimal comforts. A simple bed with storage for belongings, and a floating, stainless steel end table. A hunter didn't need comfort. She needed practicality. Samus headed toward the cockpit and sat down, staring out at the skies. Ships were taking off regularly, while others came in to take their places at the dock. It was almost hypnotic, and Samus didn't realize she'd given in to her complete exhaustion until someone was shaking her shoulder hours later. It had grown dark out, and chilly, but the hand on her shoulder was warm and oddly comforting.

She blinked the sleep out of her eyes and turned in the pilot's seat to find Adam standing before her, still dressed in his uniform.

Samus gasped, startled by Adam's presence. _How did he even get in here_ , she thought and then remembered she'd forgotten to retract the entrance lift to her Gunship. She had been too focused on simply moving to do anything else. She cursed to herself, knowing anyone could have easily been where Adam was standing now, but she was too tired to really care at this point to actively scrutinize her mental lapse. Instead, she slumped deeper into the pilot's seat.

"What are you doing in here?" they asked in unison.

Adam spoke first, knowing it was he who was intruding on Samus's territory. His eyes grew dark and serious beneath the black brim of his military cap. "I read the story about you and our little visit to the doctor yesterday. That's part of the reason I was gone all day. Handling the media, trying to keep things from exploding. When I came home and noticed you weren't there, something told me to come here."

Samus sighed, feeling too tired to even speak. "As soon as I read it, I panicked. I had to get away. I didn't know where and if it wasn't for the fact that I'm too tired to move much less think straight, I'd be gone."

"Running won't solve anything, Samus. You know that. You seem to be forgetting that that's my child in there, too."

She shot him an accusatory glare. "Are you serious right now? I'm reminded of that every time I puke my guts out, or cry for no reason, or get so fucking tired that I can't even move and end up doing stupid shit like what I'm doing right now!" Samus turned to face the control terminal and placed her head into her hands. The tears came against her will. "Goddamn it!"

Adam approached and allowed his hands to gently squeeze Samus's strong, yet tense, shoulders. He felt no trace of repulsion in her taut muscles and moved one hand into a rubbing motion against her back. As much as he wanted to speak words of calm to her at this moment, something in the air, in the connection he felt with the woman beneath his hands, told him that words weren't necessary. And so he stayed like this for what seemed like an eternity, just rubbing her trembling back while she cried, not caring that she was doing so.

Finally, Samus broke the silence, her voice calm. "...Do you think it's safe to head back home?" She wiped at her tear stained cheeks with the back of her good hand.

Adam continued to rub her back. "Of course it is. There's nothing to worry about, Samus. Trust me." His voice was full of a confidence akin to a man who believes he could take on the world. He brought his hands away from her back and took a step back from the pilot's seat; Samus swung around to face him, looking exhausted both mentally and physically. "Let's get you home, Lady." Adam added with a slight smile and scooped her up from the seat and cradled her in his arms.

Samus willingly brought her arms around Adam's neck, the independent spirit in her too exhausted to shun his help and walk under her own power, what very little of it was left, anyway, and within minutes was asleep.


	4. Changes in the Face of Temptation

**Author's Notes:** Just a quick clarification on what "Galactic Basic" is. It's essentially English. Keep this in mind going forward.

 **Chapter 4:** **Changes in the Face of Temptation (Day 80)**

* * *

Some days, Samus missed the stars. Everything planet-side was busy: empty space was a thing to shun, and as such, buildings crowded streets and shot high into the air. She could still see the sky, but with all the lights that filled the city streets at night, there was little hope of ever seeing the stars.

Some days, it was the quiet she missed most. In the dark vacuum of space, with only the stars for company, Samus had reveled in the silence, broken only by occasional radio static. Here, there were whispers: people recognizing her, people talking about her when they thought she couldn't hear… the constant buzzing of vehicles, the click of shoes on pavement, the roar of ships taking off and landing. She wanted to cover her ears and scream; it felt like every sound grated on her last nerves.

The smells, too, were more bothersome than she would have thought. Perhaps she was only used to her ship's dry, recycled air, or the filtered air in her suit. But lately, certain scents felt like knives in her nose, stabbing and stabbing until she finally gave in and threw up. Exhaust vapors, perfumes and colognes, cleaning supplies, even the usually delicious smell of Adam's cooking, had lately all been guilty of making her nauseous or violently ill at one point or another. As such, Samus now kept to herself inside the apartment, concerned that the slightest smell would set her off. And with her visit to the doctor still spurring speculation, she wasn't about to give the media parasites any more sustenance.

But what Samus realized one day was that what she truly missed, and all those things were indicative of, was her solitude.

She loved Adam, and was glad he was here to support her. To say this was difficult was an understatement. If her body wasn't betraying her with the considerable morning sickness and the exhaustion, it was her hormones making her will betray her. She'd lost count of the times she wanted to collapse and cry, and a few times she actually did. Adam was almost always immediately there, arms around her, rubbing her back or handing her a tissue. He cooked; he cleaned. He took care of her.

It was a curious thing, because Samus couldn't recall a time that she was taken care of in such a way. Her memories of K2-L were nonexistent, and her memories of the Chozo were memories of an ascetic life spent training and denying the self. The Chozo were not unkind; they were just distant and reserved. So to have another human doting on her if she so much as hiccuped was sweet, but very unsettling.

She also hadn't had much experience with physical closeness. She assumed Adam hadn't either. But it seemed that his uniform was merely a shell, and in shedding it, his warmth, affection, and caring spilled over. Some nights Samus gladly snuggled into his chest, comforted by the beating of his heart or his touches upon her skin. But other nights she lay staring at the ceiling, wishing that he would take his arm back and give her space. She would scoot over to the edge of her side of the bed throughout the night, and he would unconsciously follow her, until she was nearly off the bed.

Tonight she couldn't take it, and slipped off the side of the bed and padded quietly across the carpeted bedroom and into the living room. She took care to slide the door closed behind her, lest her movements and any light should wake Adam and steal away her precious moments of solitude. The living room was dark, with only slivers of white light from the street lights coming from the edges of the curtains. In the kitchen she could see the blue glow of the microwave clock on the wall. For a moment she pretended she was back aboard her ship with only the darkness of space and the soft glow of the stars and her instrument panels for light.

Samus settled into Adam's favorite chair. It smelled faintly of him, and was warm and enveloping without being cloying. She took a moment to savor the darkness the same way a chef might savor the scents of his cooking. She could probably fall asleep here in the quiet darkness, alone in this soft chair, but she wasn't tired. That was one of the most irritating things about her pregnancy thus far. Well, maybe not the most; there were certainly enough things that irritated her that it was hard to rank them all. But she was tired throughout the day, and most nights could just not sleep for anything even if her life depended on it.

She tucked her legs under her and grabbed her tablet from the glass coffee table. Ever since the day she'd discovered she was front page tabloid fodder, she'd tried to steer clear of the news media. She'd downloaded novels, biographies, even cookbooks. Most of them went unread, not because she didn't have the time to read, but because she had so much time that it was hard to focus on one thing at a time. She figured she could at least blame the hormones for that one, for certain; she'd had long periods of downtime in space, and had never felt this restless or unproductive before.

An icon in the lower left corner indicated that she had a message, and curious, Samus tapped it. She'd expected her inbox to be full, after having ignored her messages for so long. When she saw the first unrecognizable address and the subject header "Interview", she'd abandoned checking and promptly deleted it. For the most part, the only person with whom she wanted to speak was the man she lived with. But it was the message below it that suddenly caught her interest:

"Contract." it simply said in boldface Galactic Basic.

Her stomach felt fluttery. Not nausea, and not like she was about to throw up. Like nervous energy pent up with nowhere to go. Suddenly the screen seemed too bright, and she looked around as if afraid that Adam would wake and come see what she was doing. She even held her breath and listened, but eventually heard nothing.

It had been so long since she'd had a contract request. Well, maybe not that long in the grand scheme of things, but she had been used to getting overflowing inboxes with offers from which she could pick and choose at leisure. Since the Bottle Ship, life had been quiet. She figured she was glad she could settle down and relax for a change. But now, the way her hands trembled and her eyes quickly scanned through the message, maybe she really did miss the freedom to suit up and hunt a bounty after all.

"Samus?" Adam's voice from the entry to the hallway startled her, and she quickly fumbled to close the message program. "Are you okay? Do you need anything?"

She forced a smile. "I'm fine, I just couldn't sleep." It wasn't entirely a lie.

He crossed the room in a few quiet strides and stood over her. In the dark she couldn't see his face, though she had every curve and crevice memorized. He reached out a hand to her. "Come back to bed, Lady," he said softly and kissed her head.

Her eyes gave one last quick glance over the message, the nervous energy in her stomach now coursing through the rest of her body. "Be there in a sec." she replied. Her voice sounded distant to her ears as she continued to stare at the tablet and the gift of solitude she was being offered. So engrossed in this opportunity was she that she didn't even register Adam's fading footsteps.

Solitude. Space. With a slight smile, Samus immediately recognized she was having her first cravings. And they were both absolutely ravenous.

Turning off the tablet, Samus placed it back on the table and rejoined Adam in their bedroom. She wrapped herself in the warmth of the covers.

"Everything all right, Lady?" Adam asked as he turned to face her.

"Yeah. I was just getting a glass of water. I'll probably end up having to pee in about five minutes. Just thought I'd let you know ahead of time."

Samus felt Adam's lips against her bare shoulder and the unease filled her once more.

Adam gave a slight chuckle somewhere deep in his throat. "I appreciate that, Lady. Go back to sleep, all right?"

But sleep never came to Samus Aran that night as the contract weighed heavily on her mind.

* * *

The next morning, Samus made her way out of their bedroom and into the living room moments before the sun was to begin its day. As a child on Zebes, watching the sun rise while standing atop the weathered peaks of Chozodia had quickly became a favorite of hers. Once she became a bounty hunter, however, she rarely found the time to stop and watch the sun rise and not every planet she visited had had a sun. Some planets used artificial suns, like Aether, but it wasn't the same to her. While the sunrises had been beautiful on Zebes, they couldn't compare to the sunrises on Earth, this much she was now certain of; since having settled on the planet, Samus hadn't missed a single one.

Out on the balcony, a gentle wind stirred her long blond hair while traffic could be heard below. The air was rather crisp and sent a slight chill up her spine through the thin robe she was wearing. Samus found it invigorating nonetheless and filled her lungs with it, hoping it would at least clear her mind enough to think about her situation before it became too late. As it stood, she was a little over twelve weeks pregnant. She would soon enter her second trimester. And though she and Adam had talked a great deal about their options since finding out, Samus still found herself at odds over whether or not she should have the child, put it up for adoption, or outright terminate it. Though they could talk about their options until they were both blue in the face, Samus knew the final decision was hers to make alone.

And it terrified her in ways Metroids or near-death encounters ever had.

There was a slight whoosh sound as the glass doors suddenly opened behind her, then the subtle scent of a rich musk tainted with mild sweetness. Large, powerful hands squeezed her shoulders gently.

"Morning, Lady." Adam said softly. "How are you this morning?"

"Morning, Adam." she replied before turning around to face him. Her arms found themselves around his waist. "I'm good. So far, anyway." a slight grin curved one side of her mouth. "I could blow any second though, so just watch yourself."

Adam smiled wide and chuckled. "I'll take my chances."

Samus snuggled against Adam's form as a chilly gust of wind swept over the balcony. Against her breast, she could feel the soft thudding of his heart underneath his uniform, his heart which seemed to now beat only for her and their future.

Adam gently parted from her. Her eyes followed him - stared at him - as he drank her in for a moment before briefly sighing and gracefully taking a knee. His eyes found hers again as the nervous energy filled her belly once more.

Adam's eyes never once left hers as he pulled something from his pocket.

Samus suddenly felt a warm and nervous twinge despite the chill in the air. "What are y-"

Despite having built a reputation of being calm under pressure, Adam felt his nerves tighten and burst into a nervous fire inside of his entire body. "I meant to do this sooner but," he skillfully removed the small object from the box and held it before her ring finger, "Any objections, Lady?"

"I don't understand." Samus replied, looking at him with a looking of perplexity on her face. "What the hell are you doing?"

Adam stood once more, a gentle chuckle coming from him. He'd been expecting her to say that, having no real understanding of human social customs. "This is what humans do when proposing marriage to their partner, Lady."

"Oh... You mean like a human version of the Chozo wing fastening ceremony?"

Adam smiled, finding her curiosity to be rather endearing. "If that's what the Chozo did before devoting their lives to each other, then yes. That's exactly what it is."

Samus could feel her throat tighten as the implications registered in her brain. Marriage. Wife to one of the greatest military minds the universe had ever seen. Her best friend and confidant. Knowing that she would be taken care of for the rest of her life, and knowing from now on – should she accept Adam's proposal – there would forever be someone there to welcome her safe return after a mission, and someone there to grieve for and be proud of her ultimate sacrifice should she have no other choice in the thick of battle. From now on, there would always be someone there for her, to love, honor and cherish her.

Samus struggled to speak. This moment was something she both wanted and dreaded. Her palms were sweating, her stomach churned with nausea and nervousness. "I...I..." was all she could manage before blurting out the first thing that came to her mind. "I accept your proposal."

Adam slipped the ring around her finger, his face now aglow, before taking Samus firmly into his arms. Samus allowed herself to melt into every inch of Adam's form, her hands combing slowly through his short black hair.

Behind them, the sun had risen for the day, anew. And Samus could already feel the great weight of the sparkling ring around her finger beginning to strangle her.


	5. Second Thoughts

**Chapter 5: Second Thoughts (Day 83)**

* * *

The ring weighed heavily on her finger, and the thoughts of the contract and pregnancy weighed heavily on her mind as well. Samus had not given a definite reply to the contractor yet, just a perfunctory "thank you for considering me" and a promise to return an answer soon. There had been no other communication. Then again, that had been less than a few days ago. And she was still unsure of the child growing within her. But she had given Adam a definite answer, and now, beautiful as the diamond ring on its gold band was, it felt like a shackle holding her down.

As Samus listened to Adam talk about ceremonies, guest lists and décor, even at this early phase, her mind wandered because the truth was she didn't want all of that. She wanted a simple ceremony. She wanted to quietly have and raise their child. Not be this spectacle for all of high society to watch and gossip about. She stayed inside most of the time because she didn't feel like being stared at, or hearing the whispers that she knew were about her.

Truth be told, she was used to attention, but mostly when she was in her Power Suit. She longed for that feeling of security again; her Zero Suit was hanging in the closet like any other innocuous piece of clothing, but would it work? When it was designed for her, no one had considered the likelihood of having to accommodate a child in utero.

Samus padded into the bedroom, her bare feet making no noise on the carpet. She smiled: how different from the ominous clang of her metal boots on pavement, or on a catwalk. She slid open the closet door and took out the Zero Suit, then laid it on the bed and stepped back, surveying it.

Laid out like this, all limp and blue, it looked like nothing more than a body suit. Even the Chozo symbols were dull, and barely visible. _They must have to be in contact with my skin to work_ , Samus thought. She smoothed out a wrinkle, and at the touch of her hand the suit came to life. She felt the slight electronic buzzing, and a strange warmth emanating from it. She rested her hand on the fabric and closed her eyes.

"Samus? Are you all right?"

Adam's voice startled Samus. A feeling like ice in her stomach made her want to sink through the floor. She spun to see him standing in the doorway, in his socks; no wonder she hadn't heard him approach. "Just looking at my suit," she said. It was the truth, but came out sounding guiltier than she'd have liked.

Adam came into the room and stood behind Samus, rubbing her shoulders. "It's not going to fit after a certain point," he said, resting his hands on her stomach and pressing her back against him. "If it still does now," he added, kissing her cheek.

"I didn't try it on," Samus replied calmly, hoping she didn't sound irritated, even though she was. "I just wanted to check it for… for malfunctions," she finished lamely. "Look, it gets dull sitting around here day after day while you go about your business. There are only so many books I can read, you know? And that one you got me about expecting? I can only handle so much of it at once," she said with a shudder. Adam laughed. Samus on the other hand was much less amused. "No, really, you should read it. What's going on down here?" she said, pointing at her stomach. "That makes Metroids look harmless!"

"Are you saying the great bounty hunter Samus Aran, who has destroyed planets and saved the galaxy from Space Pirates… is scared?" he teased.

"And bored," she pointed out, not wanting to dwell on her fears. There were so many of them. Not just the fear of impending motherhood, or the changes it would bring to her body. But fear of stability. Fear of a life spent in a quiet living space reading books all day, when she wasn't feeding or changing diapers, that was. "I'm very, very bored," she said, hoping to get Adam to stop questioning her. "I'm as human as anyone else."

"Less, with your Chozo DNA," he mused. He sat on the bed and tugged Samus with him, but she'd been sitting enough lately, and pulled away so she could remain standing. "What do you think that will do to the baby?"

She shrugged. "I never expected to ever get pregnant, let alone have to wonder what Chozo DNA would have to do with it," she replied. "Besides, I still haven't decided if I'm even keeping it yet."

The General sat silent for a moment to think about what she'd just said. Though it pained him to think about losing the child, he would nevertheless be respective and supportive of whatever Samus ultimately decided. "Here," Adam handed her the suit. In his big, calloused hand, it looked like a limp piece of clothing, dangling helplessly like a ragdoll. It showed no signs of its latent power.

Samus sighed and reached for the suit. For a brief moment the both of them held onto it, and when she touched it, she felt the same buzzing, electrical feeling: as if it were alive in her grasp. Adam seemed to feel it too, because he did not let go, though she heard his breathing quicken. Their eyes met. "You're right...It probably won't fit at this point," Samus reassured Adam in a quiet voice. She turned quickly and hung her suit back in the closet.

"Let's go out for dinner tonight," Adam said suddenly before coming to his feet. "You must be going crazy cooped up like this. It'll be good for you to get out."

* * *

He took her to a small bistro off the main strip of the city, but with the rain coming down hard, its outdoor tables were vacant and the umbrellas put away. There were only a few tables scattered in the dimly lit room, and no one looked up when they walked in much to the hunter's delight. Even the waitstaff seemed to pretend they had no clue who they were. But to be fair, Samus thought, they were hardly dressed in a way that would mark them as familiar.

Her nausea was abating for the first time in days, and she found that she was quite hungry and the bistro-sized portions did not quite satisfy her appetite. Adam ate his meal with a smile on his face, never questioning when she asked for another basket of rolls to be brought, or ordered dessert and asked for another order of the night's soup course packed to go. "That was so good," she murmured, dipping her spoon in a pool of melting chocolate ice cream. "I didn't even know I liked chocolate ice cream." She glanced up. Adam was watching her, half smiling. "Thank you, Adam. I needed this."

"I've been worried about you," he replied. "When I saw your suit out earlier, I…"

Samus sighed and crumpled her cloth napkin in her lap. "I just wanted to check it out," she reassured him. "Do we have to get into it again, and here of all places?"

"It's responding to you. And you to it," he replied.

Samus felt the weight and chill of the ice block in her stomach again, and her teeth wanted to chatter, but she kept her jaw clenched. It wasn't nerves or fear, but anger. "It's a part of me," she said in a low voice. "Could you just let go of part of yourself and never look back?" she asked.

From the stricken look on his face, she could tell she'd been too quick with her retort. "I've done that every single day since joining the Federation," he replied. "But they've had their time with me, and now it's time that I give myself to you in the same way."

Samus thought she should be flattered, or think him sweet and romantic. But it just made her feel guilty, like his happiness and his whole life were both riding on her. "Look. I've spent my whole life on the move, and you expect me to just stop and settle down because you asked me to?"

People were looking at them now. Most were trying not to, but there was no mistaking the sidelong glances. And there was no way to miss the whispered conversations.

"Yes," Adam said simply. "And you agreed when you accepted that ring."

There it was: the simple truth. She'd agreed to all of this. She'd agreed to be Adam's rock, in the same way he was hers. She'd agreed to a life of stability and peace, and yes, to stop running. She'd agreed to one home on one planet with one person. The weight of her choice strangled her mind the way the ring strangled her finger. "I need some air," she said suddenly, shoving her chair back and standing up.

The large meal she'd eaten suddenly felt very heavy in her stomach, but instead of running toward the restroom Samus headed for the door.

"Wait!" Adam called after her.

"I blew up an entire planet," she snapped, to the shocked silence of everyone in the bistro. "I think I can handle the walk home!"

Outside, the night air was cool and fresh, and if she closed her eyes she could almost see herself as a child reveling in the cool evenings after long hot days spent training. But soon enough she heard the bustle of other people around her, and her confusion and anger returned. So many people. Glancing at her and thinking to themselves that she looked familiar despite never having seen her before. Any one of them could be paparazzi taking secret pictures of her for the various tabloids. She felt vulnerable out here in the open as a nameless fear gripped her heart.

Inside the restaurant, other patrons glanced between each other towards the door before going about their meals and friendly conversations. Adam paid in haste before running outside to hopefully catch her, but even he knew that scenario was next to impossible given her superhuman athletics. To his complete surprise, however, she was still outside the bistro, looking tired and unwell as she leaned back against the long post of a streetlight.

Adam stuffed his hands into his pockets and approached Samus cautiously. He appeared calm to her on the outside, but inside his instincts screamed at him to reach out and comfort her. He clenched his jaw tight, hoping the need would pass. "Are you all right, Lady?" he asked. He approached her, but Samus promptly issued a warning gesture with her hand: ' _Stay back. I can handle this_ ,' it said with the intensity of white hot neon lights. Adam gave her some space. "...Talk to me."

Samus stared at him with a hard edge in her eyes. "Talk? You want me to talk? Fine. Let's talk. In case you haven't noticed, I don't belong here! While you're working at the academy or parading around Federation HQ, I'm sitting by myself at home like some dopey housewife; or puking my guts out. I'm so fucking bored I can't stand it! And in case you haven't noticed, I can't even get out of my own way anymore because I'm so fucking exhausted!"

Adam's eyes grew dark. "You say all this like it's my fault."

"It is!" Samus snapped. "If it hadn't been for you, I wouldn't be in this fucking mess! I'd be alone and able to do my job the way I was designed to!"

For a split second, Samus found herself thinking about that one word she'd just used: designed. And the context in which she'd used it also frightened her, as if she wasn't a mere mortal, but a robot designed for war. True, the Chozo had given her some of their DNA as a way for her to survive on Zebes, but had they also done it for something far more dangerous? Their own personal weapon, perhaps?

Adam felt as though he'd just been punched in the stomach. Here it was, out in the open: the truth. She was blaming him for everything – the relationship, her new life, the child she was carrying. The breath had been knocked out him and for once he found himself unable to speak clearly.

She looked surprised as well, and stared at him for a moment before suddenly turning and taking off down the sidewalk.

* * *

Adam didn't know how long he stood there alone on the sidewalk while people passed by. Some stared curiously, some tried not to look but couldn't help it. He barely noticed the attention as he tried to compose himself and figure out what had just happened. What was supposed to be a nice evening had quickly turned into anything but pleasant all because he never allowed himself to stop worrying about Samus and what she was going to do - or think of doing - next. The woman was known nearly as much for her recklessness - as far as he was concerned anyway - as she was for her knack for collateral damage and planetary exploits.

And right now, something told him she was on her way to doing something reckless yet again.

Like a switch flipping inside of him, he blinked and ran for his hover car. M _aybe I can reason with her. Or at least stop her before she does something reckless_ , he thought, hoping he wasn't already too late.

Some thirty minutes later, the door to their apartment quickly gave way. Adam's heart was damn near hammering in his chest by now, and an uncharacteristically clammy feeling cooled his skin as his eyes darted back and forth over the living room. "Samus? Samus!" he called as his legs carried him throughout their apartment. She was nowhere to be found on the terrace. The bathroom. The kitchen. A sickly feeling, sour in his stomach, percolated from the depths of his belly as he went down the hallway and into their bedroom. As he flipped the switch, dim light flooded the bedroom.

She was gone. But Adam discovered a note. He read it to himself with dawning unease:

 _Adam,_

 _It's not you I was angry at. I was - am - angry at myself. And until I stop being angry at myself, I can't accept the honor of being your wife, or accept the love you've deemed me worthy of. I don't even know if I can accept this child - our child - we created. So I'm off to find myself, to find out if I can put my past aside and truly live a normal life. Don't think I'm doing this because I don't love you. I do. Very much. But I can't be wife and mother to your child if my past keeps coming back to haunt me._

 _\- Samus_

Glistening underneath the soft light of the end table lamp was the ring he'd given her just two days prior.

His finely tuned instincts told him to check the closet.

Her Zero Suit was missing.

The vastness of space blurred beneath the tears that burned in her eyes. Samus wiped them away haphazardly with the back of one hand while her right controlled her Gunship; the smooth bulge of the steering mechanism felt precise in her grip and in a rather strange moment, one which she readily attributed to hormones, she immediately thought of her own. At only twelve weeks into her pregnancy, the only physical changes had been slight and unnoticeable to those who knew nothing of her or her precious cargo. But they were there, subtle as they were; Adam could see the changes in her breasts and waistline. But seeing them, she thought, wasn't anything like actually _feeling_ these changes. And they were, more or less, gradually turning her into nothing more than a shell of her former self. Her left hand came to rest on her abdomen. Despite her athleticism, it felt big and cramped. "It's only going to get worse from here," she mumbled within the silence of her ship.

Shifting into auto-pilot, Samus activated the ship's communication systems to get in contact with the source of her restlessness.

"This is Samus Aran. I'll do it," she said simply before ending the transmission.


	6. A Hunter's Return

**Chapter 6: A Hunter's Return (Day 84)**

* * *

There were Space Pirates, then there were space pirates, and Samus Aran had dealt with both. The former were intelligent insectoid beings that loved to wreak havoc in a never ending quest to gain a foothold on the civilized galaxy. They also happened to be sworn enemies of hers, trying to maraud her every chance they got. While Samus had managed to keep their threat at bay multiple times, the level of intelligence they showed in the scientific techniques they pursued were worrisome and highly dangerous. Yet the Federation never seemed too concerned about their long term presence, only the present threat.

The latter were mercenaries and smugglers, and Samus had done her fair share of contracts dealing with these often swarthy individuals. Most of them had been in her earlier days, before that first mission to Zebes when she'd become a big name bounty hunter and the Federation's reluctant lap dog. Since that time, with her missions and reputation having long since become etched into the pages of Cosmic History, she'd gained more than enough financial padding to be able to pick and choose jobs at her leisure without having to worry about how she would get through the next week or month. But when she'd seen the contract offer from Jonas, she'd just needed to get away. Money was no object and she didn't really care what he was paying, or even if he was paying.

Jonas "Ace" McNeil. A middle-aged man with a swarthy complexion and unruly light brown hair. Though he was in his early fifties, he appeared much older thanks in part to his abuse of alcohol, barbiturates and other black market drugs. His dark eyes were a little bleary; she'd either woken him, or disturbed him while he was getting a fix. It wasn't unusual for smugglers to take a cut of what they were smuggling, in addition to the money they were getting for it. Samus knew well of McNeil, having first met him in the early days of her career when she was cutting her bounty hunting teeth. He'd been a steady contract of hers during those days when she was just looking to made ends meet. But in spite of his "generosity" – if Samus could in fact call it such - the man was like most others of his profession, having virtually no code of conduct and willing to do whatever it took to get his next fix, regardless of the cost. While Samus didn't consider herself a saint by any means, there were some things she absolutely would not do under any circumstances, regardless of the payout. Though she didn't care much for Jonas' way of doing things, she could say that he was one of the few acquaintances she could actually trust.

Despite his nickname, Jonas was anything but an ace now that his hard and fast life had finally caught up to him. Nowdays he was just another washed up smuggler looking to score his next fix or enough money to make it through another week of merely existing. When Samus received the contract from him, she promptly accessed what data she could find on McNeil and discovered he'd blown nearly all of his finances on drugs, alcohol and escorts all within the last three cycles. And Samus's services didn't come cheap now, several years after she officially became a household name. How then, she couldn't help but wonder, while imputing Jonas' info into her ship's console, had Jonas managed to procure enough credits for her services?

As tempting as it was to dissect, however, all she cared about was getting as far away from her new life as possible.

"Jonas. I'm en route," she said, the screen before her flickering to life.

"So soon?" he replied, his voice rough. His mouth curved into a sly grin, a dry laugh escaping him. "Still punctual as ever, I see."

She leaned back in her pilot's chair, projecting the aura of cool calmness she'd perfected in her years dealing with people like Jonas. Luckily she wasn't showing yet, but just in case, she'd made sure to wear a baggy flight suit to hide anything. Her hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail, and she kept her eyes narrowed and fierce. She was in her Hunter persona now, and fully comfortable with portraying aggression and an attitude of zero tolerance for bullshit. "The longer we sit here bullshitting, the less likely it's becoming that you'll recover your missing cargo. I read your file. You barely have a pot to piss in as it stands so I gather you'd very much like me to find your missing cargo runner. Do correct me if I'm wrong."

According to the details of the contract, the runner had been due at Omega Station three days ago. No details were given regarding the content of the runner or its last known coordinates and under normal circumstances, Samus would have rejected the contract outright. The last thing she wanted to do was go into a mission completely blind and so demanded to know the finer details contractors seemed to casually leave out. But it had hardly been normal circumstances when she accepted this job purely out of impulse. She just needed to get away. "When it didn't show I figured the Feds got involved. Or it could've been those filthy Reptilicus bastards, too. No better than them damn Feds if you ask me-"

Samus interjected, one eyebrow raised. "Reptillicus?"

Jonas' mouth contorted into that same slimy, cocky grin that was a universal trait among his type. "Did I stutter, Aran?"

She sighed, frustrated at his witty remark. "Fine. Play coy, doesn't matter to me. Where did you last have contact with it?"

He kept smiling, but the light soon faded from his eyes and his silent pause filled in many gaps. Samus waited, allowing the silence to make him uncomfortable. She was curious, certainly; this probably was no mere smuggling job, and could prove to be more eventful than she'd initially hoped. But she was used to waiting, and used to making people uncomfortable.

Jonas's smile finally melted off his face. "Bryyo." he replied hoarsely.

"What were your ships doing there?" Samus asked, keeping her voice even, though her heart smacked against her sternum. The last time she'd been on Bryyo, she'd had to kill one of her own: Rundas, a fellow bounty hunter of Phrygisian origin. He'd succumbed to terminal Phazon corruption and gone rogue. But she'd also found traces of Chozo influence in the hauntingly beautiful ice temple, an unexpected find amid the tropical jungles and volcanic mountain ranges, and the ever-flowing streams of fuel gel. "Wait," she said suddenly. "You're smuggling fuel gel?"

Jonas sighed. "Exactly. It's getting hard to pay the Federation tariffs on fuel; man's gotta make a living. Supply is low, so demand is high."

"I'm familiar with Federation economics, Jonas," Samus interjected. She sighed and ran her hand through her hair. She didn't know if she was up to another sojourn to Bryyo, especially given her current state. The planet was cleared of Phazon, but there was still the bubbling fuel gel and the violent Reptilicus and their Mogenars (and a bevy of other things) to worry about. "This was supposed to be easy," she reminded him, even as she was keying coordinates for Bryyo into her auto pilot.

"It will be," he said brightly behind his whiskey-soaked voice. Too brightly. He wasn't convinced, and as a result he wasn't very convincing. "Just you showing up, when the whole galaxy thought you were out of commission will scare the shit out of the bastards and get me my fuel gel back."

"You're using me," Samus said, sitting up straighter and wishing she could lunge through the screen and throttle Jonas something good.

Jonas raised his hands in defense. "Hey, now. I could have chosen any bounty hunter, but I wanted one who could get the job done all quick and clean-like. You have a reputation. Not my fault that it precedes you."

Samus sat back. No, it wasn't his fault that she had a reputation, and it was entirely her fault that she was here. She could have said no, but came barreling headlong into this like a fool. And a pregnant one, at that. "Fine. But I want an extra cut of the fuel gel sale."

"No."

Samus began to key up a number on her ship's communication terminal. "...I'll just ready a call to the energy commissioner and let them know to expect a fuel gel shipment…"

Jonas buckled, his voice rising, "Okay! I'll add an extra five percent, but no more!"

Samus watched him shaking his head. "I forgot just how much of a bitch you can be, Aran." he added with a lopsided grin. Samus smiled. She thought she was going to have to force him up to the extra five percent. Her reputation truly did precede her. She didn't need the money, but she did need to see Jonas sweat. Tracking mercs off Bryyo wouldn't be tough for her, but he had to know that he couldn't just push her around and expect her to do something simply because he was paying.

"Good. Remember that well, Jonas. Send me the last known coordinates of your ships, the cargo manifest, assuming you have one, and any information you have," Samus ordered. She set her ship to autopilot and signed off from her transmission with Jonas. Then she pulled up the Federation records about Bryyo. She had homework to do.

* * *

The descent into Bryyo's atmosphere was jarring, forcing Samus to hold her stomach. But she couldn't hold it in, and heaved her guts all over her lap while attempting to remain in control of her ship, cursing as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and cringing at the acrid taste left in her mouth. She didn't recall it being so turbulent; then again, time changed, and without the Phazon Leviathan buried into the planet, maybe there had been change in the environment. God knew there had been a big change in hers.

It would still be dangerous though. She had no doubt about that.

She'd chosen to land in a little used port on the planet, covered in thick foliage and underbrush. A giant Mogenar, a relic from the past, stood precariously against the overgrown wall, beaten and weathered by the winds of time. If smugglers and mercenaries and Federation personnel were nearby, they'd be watching the main landing zones. She did a quick scan with her external cameras and saw no threats. Thermal vision showed nothing out of the ordinary; small animals in the underbrush, but no Reptilicus or any other forms of hostile organisms.

Samus stood, wincing. The long time in the seat, combined with her changing body and her constant tiredness, made her feel stiff, achy and exhausted. She made her way to the back of the ship where her living quarters and medical bay were. The small, solitary room had been her home for so long; there were times she was content with its utilitarian simplicity, and certain it would be her home forever. Other times she'd longed to just settle down in a home without metal paneling for floors and walls.

 _You had that, and left it behind_ , she reminded herself, pulling out her Zero Suit from her small duffle bag. The pink Chozo symbols glowed with the contact from her hands. She pulled off her flight suit, shivering slightly even though the temperature was regulated in her ship, and paused to look at her abdomen, but even now there still wasn't much sign of growth. _With any luck_ , she thought, tracing her fingers over it, _I'll be out of here before that has a chance to happen_.

She slipped one leg, then the other, into the suit and wriggled it up her legs. It was a little snugger in the behind and hips than she was used to; maybe it was just because she hadn't worn it in a while. It was also a little tight across the tummy, but it wasn't noticeable enough to cause her discomfort. The suit had been designed to be quite flexible, yet strong, should it be worn in a combat situation. But time would tell how well it would hold up as her current situation progressed. She twisted her long hair into a tail, and quickly surveyed herself in the full length mirror. In spite of the way she felt, she looked svelte and lethal. The pink Chozo symbols pulsed with light and energy. The suit felt like a second skin, and she already felt more relaxed in it.

 _Now for the true test..._

Samus closed her eyes and pushed away her fears, doubts, and insecurities about all that had happened, and all that was happening. She breathed deeply, and with each exhalation she felt herself calming and going deeper within herself. The air around her began to buzz lightly. Behind her closed eyes, she could see lights popping. When she opened her eyes, her Power Suit and its Varia armor had coalesced around her, turning her into a hulking form clad in metallic orange, red and yellow armor. She smiled behind her green visor. She still had it.

But her sense of accomplishment soon turned into concern as she watched her visor's HUD go from clear to an ominous flickering red. Her concern turned into full blown fear with an equally ominous announcement from the suit's AI: " _Warning. Anomaly detected. Warning. Anomaly detected."_

 _The baby,_ Samus thought as her heart thudded against her chest. She quickly deactivated her Power Suit. Samus stood before the mirror in her Zero Suit once more, her adrenaline slowly coming back down to normal. Her hand instinctively came to rest against her mid-section. "Are you okay in there?" she asked the budding child within her. She could only hope it was.

 _Beautiful... This planet is crawling with hostiles and I'm here with no real way to defend myself against any of them. Unless...,_ Samus thought to herself as an idea suddenly came to her before her temper had a chance to ignite. Touching the pink Chozo symbol on the back of her hand, Samus activated the Zero Suit's AI and ordered it to deactivate all parts of her Power Suit except her energy reserves and basic Arm Cannon in the hopes that it would be enough to keep the warning at bay. But she ultimately wouldn't know until she tried... With the same concentration she'd used before, Samus watched as her Arm Cannon coalesced around her right forearm. To be safe, however, she opted to wait several minutes before deeming it safe to run suit and weapons diagnostics.

With some two-thousand units of energy and her Arm Cannon fully now operational, Samus finally deemed herself ready to commence her mission.

As the lift jettisoned, a quiet hope surged through her.

* * *

Federation Headquarters. General Adam Malkovich sat amongst a gathering of his colleagues, listening to a presentation by the Army's Chief of Staff and Federation's Secretary of Defense on the current status of the Army, the voices of both sounding distant as they currently talked about the defense budget. His mind was somewhere else, trying to make sense of Samus's absence and what caused it. While he knew well of her restless, wandering spirit, a part of him – a big part – couldn't help but blame himself for her leaving. He'd been too smothering of her, as if a portion of him believed the pregnancy had somehow made her suddenly unable to take care of herself. Her nomadic lifestyle had made her unaccustomed to such attention, and to cope with it – or not – she'd left him for the cold comfort of outer space.

The mercenary's wellfare consumed him, and he knew it. During meetings, Adam was usually attentive and questioning, so when this latest meeting came and went without so much as a question from him to either the Chief of Staff or the Secretary of Defense, Adam's fellow Generals couldn't help but find his silence a bit puzzling – though they would not question him about it outright – to say the least. It was the kind of odd silence they would probably talk to each other about behind his back. But Adam didn't care. His only concern right now was finding Samus.

But was that really the right thing to do, given the reasons why Samus had left in the first place? Adam wasn't quite sure. At least, not right now. Samus had only been gone for a day, and knowing her as well as he did, Adam knew there was a chance he could lose her forever if he acted too quickly on searching for her. Perhaps, he wondered while leaving the large conference room and making his way back to his office, maybe Samus really did need to be by herself for a while and think about things. After all, she was still raw when it came to understanding the intricacies of human society and assimilating herself – an alien, for all intents and purposes – into its vast presence. And she was trying to do it while carrying the child – their child – she never in a million cycles pictured herself having, all while attempting to leave her past as a hired gun behind her.

 _You drove her away,_ Adam told himself, now inside his office. Despite his rank and prestige, there was nothing to indicate either to be found around the large space. A large, deep mahogany desk and matching bookshelf against one of the walls, a smaller alcove next to it where he kept a few prized novels and pictures of his parents. A large blue and yellow flag adorned with the seal of the Federation in the corner. Adam sat at his desk, taking in the view of the sprawling city in silence while the anger at himself languidly festered deep down inside.

* * *

If there was anything besides guts and tenacity Samus Aran had in spades, it had to most certainly be patience. On missions, anyway. It wasn't rare for her to wait hours, days, or even months for that one in a million opportunity to bring down her target as quickly and stealthy as a Federation Special Ops unit. While in the midst of this waiting game, she would often also go without sustenance of any kind; as a child, the Chozo would often put her through what they called purification wherein they would deny her food as part of that week's training regimen. Brutal as it was, Samus was more or less able to go without food for the entire week.

But it was different now.

As the tablet books annoyingly called it, she was "eating for two" now. And while she knew without a doubt she could go without food for as long as it was necessary, the budding child within her couldn't. It needed food – something – to keep it thriving. But with all her rations back on her Gunship, it was only a matter of time before the nausea kicked in.

Samus had spent the entire day doing recon within the primordial jungles of Bryyo's Thorn Jungle, with no sign of her target or targets thus far. Her nausea had nearly gotten her into some serious trouble with a fearsome Reptillicus at one point; highly sensitive creatures, the beast detected the retching sound she'd tried desperately to push back and soon moved in to attack her. The fight, though brief, left her feeling exhausted. It was all she could do to push onward. She'd continued her recon well into the evening when her body began to scream at her to call it a night and rest. Disgruntled, Samus headed back to her Gunship. She would pick up where she left off in the morning.

After disengaging her Zero Suit, Samus headed into her sleeping quarters and stripped down to nothing but a comfy gray tank top and panties. She felt a shiver travel up her spine as her feet touched the cold metal floor panels. She wondered if it had always been this cold in here as she grabbed a pair of ankle socks from her travel bag and slipped them on. _All that time on Earth has made you weak, Aran_ , she told herself, _So has this...creature inside of you._ Before she could allow her focus to drift, Samus turned her back to the mirror and sat on the simple bed where she reached for a compartment underneath to grab one of her rations.

She tore the pouch open with a gusto that reflected her suddenly ravenous appetite. Noodles with something that was supposed to resemble meatballs – Samus could care less at this point. It smelled less than appealing, but she devoured it with little concern for how it tasted or smelled, just that it kept her nausea at bay.

She was well into a deep, restful sleep when a sharp beeping sound startled her awake. "Son of a bitch! Those goddamned Space Pirates better not have come back here!" Samus growled before jumping out of bed and heading for the front of her ship; she slid into the pilot seat and immediately brought up the ship's radar system to see if her worst fears had come true and Space Pirates had once again returned to wreck havoc on this and other planets again. Samus soon felt a sigh of relief escape her. The radar was as still as the air within her ship. And upon further inspection of the terminal, she discovered the source of her rude awakening. Not Space Pirates, but a transmission of some type. Sitting back against the pilot's seat, she instantly thought of Jonas – it was a message telling her that some other hired gun he'd contracted before her had found the Fuel Gel supply, she just knew it.

"That slimy fucker. He stiffed me, I knew it." she cursed before accepting the transmission.

Samus pressed the blinking button on the terminal, bringing up the message on the holoscreen. To her relief, it wasn't a message from Jonas telling her his other hired gun had beat her to the punch, but a short message from Adam:

" _Samus,_

 _I'm sorry. Please come home soon. I'll be waiting._

 _\- Adam"_

In the silence, Samus glanced at the terminal, her fingers running over the numerous keys. She closed her eyes, trying to resist the overwhelming urge to type in Adam's contact information and tell him she'd made a mistake and was coming home, right now. _But I can't...not yet_ , she said to herself. It was all she could do to move from the pilot's seat in the direction of her sleeping quarter.

Bryyo's sun would be rising in a matter of hours. She had to be ready, unable to afford losing even a seconds worth of rest on account of her second guessing of herself and the mission.

Even if her gut instinct was right.


	7. The Dangerous Game

**Chapter 7: The Dangerous Game (Day 117)**

* * *

When trekking through the jungles yielded nothing but some scrapes with the native Reptilicus population, Samus realized she was going to have to change her tactics. She was also beginning to realize just how stupid she'd been to take this job on a whim. _What was I thinking?_ she asked herself, over and over again as she used short power beam bursts to burn through low-hanging vines and foliage. The answers varied, but always came back to the one overarching issue: she'd been scared. Scared of stability, scared of being responsible for more than just herself. Scared of losing herself.

But after reading Adam's brief message the night of her arrival, she was beginning to accept that moving onto a new stage of her life might not necessarily mean losing herself. Maybe it was just the first step into a new part of her life, a part as obscure and unexplored as this very jungle.

She was ready to admit she was wrong, and ready to ask for Adam's forgiveness. _He may not give it_ , she muttered to herself, _It's a chance I'll have to take though…_

However, she still had a contract to fulfill. She might have considered saying "fuck it" and just backed out and told Jonas to find someone else. But the galaxy was watching her every move, and that was all the tabloids (and her competitors) needed: another reason to shit on her. First she blew up Zebes; then Ceres, neither of which had been her fault to begin with; then she got pregnant out of wedlock, though luckily no one knew by who. Yet. All they'd need was a failure of a supposedly simple job, and there would be a field day.

She gritted her teeth and pressed on. Yes, she was prepared to forge ahead in a new chapter of her life, but that didn't mean casting aside everything that had brought her to this point.

Back at her ship, she noticed a blinking light on her comms unit, signifying a new message. Adam again? Even in spite of her resolution to change and move forward, she couldn't bring herself to see what he had to say; not just yet. She keyed up Jonas instead. "Nothing in the jungles, and the landing zones have been abandoned for a long time," she snapped as soon as his face appeared.

"Huh," he grunted, appearing unconcerned for a man whose valuable fuel gel cargo had mysteriously gone missing. "...Have you tried the harvesting zones?"

She snapped at him again, "I've been running around these damn jungles for weeks and still haven't found anything! You made it sound like you'd already completed your gel harvest," she said, trying to keep from punching his smug face on the screen. "And that the shipment went missing after it was completed!"

"No harm checking?" Jonas said with a shrug, and then the arrogant prick hung up on her.

Samus screamed in frustration and nearly smashed every console in her cockpit, except that she knew she'd need it if she ever hoped to get out of here. That was it. She was keeping a larger share of the bounty, and she was going to tip off the Federation task force on smuggling. No way was she letting scum like Jonas screw her over this way. She took a deep breath and focused herself again, trying to keep control over her emotions so her Arm Cannon would not falter. She hesitated for a moment as an ominous thought crossed her mind: She had been to all of Bryyo's major locations...save for one, which she had purposely tried to avoid given her circumstances. The heated environment that was Bryyo Fire. Like Norfair, the caverns of Bryyo Fire were inhospitable at best without proper protection. As it stood, she would not last long in the volatile heat in her current state. Twenty minutes would be all she would be able to endure before her energy reserves were fully depleted; after that, it was only a matter of time before she died.

As it stood, the odds were stacked highly against her making it out alive.

Samus gritted her teeth in frustration, realizing she was faced with accepting one of two options – either take the insanely stupid risk and investigate Bryyo Fire, or quit while she was ahead and risk retribution for her failure to fulfill the contract. Though Jonas was considered a low tier smuggler nowdays, even Samus knew it was only a fool who didn't satisfy their end of the deal before they ended up dead.

Realizing she had been backed into a corner of her own design, Samus angrily clenched her fist. She could blame nobody but herself for being in this position in the first place. She couldn't blame Adam. She could only blame herself. All because she was scared of losing some imaginary part of herself if she even so much as acknowledged that she had desires and emotions befitting of her dominant species.

Samus took a deep breath, hoping it would bring her calm, realizing just how foolish it would be to tempt certain death trying to navigate Bryyo Fire all for some scumbag acquaintance who could probably care less if she lived or died. And the feeling was mutual.

But Samus Aran always fulfilled a contract. Always.

 _Fuck it. I didn't get this far by being cautious. I'll take my chances and hope for the best..._

She took a deep breath and focused herself again, trying to keep control over her emotions before she keyed in the coordinates for the airdock that would lead her to the entrance to Bryyo Fire and its caverns that held rivers of Fuel Gel. And hopefully the end to this stupid task...

* * *

As she flew through the atmosphere of Bryyo, she stared down at the green and gray cliffs. The planet was still in recovery, even with the Phazon Leviathan and the Space Pirate incursion that she'd stopped having come and gone long ago. But it would regenerate over time. And if an entire planet and its ecosystems and creatures and native races could recover, so could her relationship with Adam. Oddly, this gave her comfort, and when she landed at the Fiery Airdock, she felt far calmer than before.

She took a moment to focus and prepare herself, making sure her Zero Suit was in place. The fiery caverns of Bryyo were inhospitable at best, and it wouldn't do to have her only source of firepower malfunctioning due to her out of control emotions. Her Arm Cannon, though only able to fire standard beam shots, was online and functioning normally and her suit's energy shielding was at capacity and stable. She was as ready as she possibly could be, given the circumstances. The hunter took a second to look at herself and the soft swell of her midsection that had developed in recent weeks, tracing it with her fingers. She spoke to her son or daughter with calm, but also hints of remorse. "Forgive me for what I'm about to do, and for the fact that I'm already shaping up to be a terrible mother to you. But it will change after all of this. I promise."

Samus came from her ship, only to enter the region's first area, the Imperial Hall, a long corridor whose walls were adorned with several large metal busts of past Bryyonian rulers and small pools of Fuel Gel. She ran, jumped, and shot her way through the corridor and subsequent areas, squinting as the bright, sickly yellow of the fuel gel native to this area all but blinded her. So blinding, in fact, that she almost didn't see the Warp Hound until it was nearly on top of her as she entered the next area.

It came out of nowhere, thanks to the warping ability that gave the creature its name. She heard the snarls and spun around, already charging her power beam. She fired a shot at it as it lunged at her, its powerful body coiled like a spring. The shot launched it back away from her, but not much else. She knew from experience that only an ice beam shot would truly take out a Warp Hound and cursed to herself knowing her current condition barred her from utilizing the full extent of her weaponry.

Before she allowed her focus to drift, however, her muscle memory kicked in, and she sent a continuous hail of power beat shots in the direction of the creature while it recovered from the hunter's initial attack. Aim, charge, fire, over and over again. It was a dance she'd learned well – and early – in her illustrious career. But where a Warp Hound was, Reptilicus weren't far behind. Sure enough, two Reptilicus Hunters appeared from hidden doorways next to a fuel gel transfer pipe. The elite hunters were larger and more powerful than a normal Reptilicus, with larger forearms, heavily muscled back limbs and a dangerous array of long range weapons. Samus gritted her teeth and strafed around the Warp Hound, keeping wary eyes on the hunters as they sized up their target. Her gaze caught sight of a small opening that she could fit in, if she morphed, and she found herself cursing to herself once more; she could lure them near and set off a chain of bombs. The small explosions wouldn't be enough to set off the fuel gel, but it could be enough to stun her enemies and buy her some time...had she been able to use her Power Suit.

She exhaled and dove forward, rolling out of the way of a Reptilicus strike, its claws narrowly missing her. Samus jumped to her feet and shot it with a charged power beam shot. It shrieked in pain and anger, but she had already turned her attention to the Warp Hound and other Reptilicus. However, as she tried to focus on firing at her nimble enemies, it was becoming more difficult to sustain the concentration necessary for her Arm Cannon. _Focus!_ she screamed at herself, but her Arm Cannon was already starting to weaken with her loss of focus and felt as if it were jamming. What's more, she was sweating, weak and tired from the oppressive heat of the area and the current battle. Nearly half of her energy reserves had been drained just getting to this point, and the bounty hunter began to worry that her stubbornness would ultimately end up being the death of her. If the violent, dangerous fauna didn't get to her first, that was.

Samus had never run from a fight before… at least not a fight with enemies she understood, like these. Desperation welled up inside. She'd faced far worse odds in the past, but this time so much more was at stake if she were to fail.

The enemy was closing in. Her connection to her Arm Cannon was flickering on and off, which, if anything, was probably confusing them and buying time. There was only one option left. Samus ran like hell. Not only for her life, but the life of her unborn child. The caustic, blinding glow of the limitless fuel gel streams coupled with the searing heat of the area only served in hampering what should have been an easy getaway for the veteran bounty hunter. Hot on her heals were the lone Warp Hound and duo of Reptillicus Hunters, growling and snarling, eager to devour their fleeing prey.

Continuing towards the safety of her ship, Samus could feel her lungs burning from the inside out, the dangerous heat scorching them and her entire body for that matter. Had the Chozo not modified her to be able to live on Zebes, she knew she would have died a long time ago. She cursed to herself, desperation beginning to pervade her usually clear mind. Without the protection of the Varia Suit and no matter her DNA, the fact remained that she was still human and wouldn't be able to survive much longer in this environment; her energy reserves were in the red now and falling rapidly. She had to think of something, someway to get these beasts away from her, or slow them down at the very least. And quickly.

Sweat dripped down her forehead and into her eyes, down her cheeks. Her body felt as if it would spontaneously combust at any moment. Yet the Reptillicus duo and Warp Hound were showing no signs of slowing their chase. They, unlike the human target they were pursuing, were used to the heated environment. They could go for as long as was necessary. This was merely a game to them. And if Samus wanted to survive this, she knew she would have to play the game, too.

In the midst of her sprint, Samus quickly felt for the holster on her left thigh and pulled the Paralyzer from its sheathe. Fumbling with it as she ran, Samus was finally able to get a firm grip around the butt of the large steel pistol and charged a shot. With a quick glance behind her, she shot the Reptillicus closest to her and resumed her view forward, instead relying on sounds to verify a connection. A brief snap, then the crackling sound of electricity. The Reptillicus had been shot and stunned. Samus readied two more charges and repeated the process. Instead of blood-thirsty growling and snarling, Samus now heard only the thunderous beating of her heart in her ears. It wasn't much, but she hoped they would be out of commission long enough for her to escape.

At the end of the corridor she could make out the familiar colors and hull of her beloved gunship and nearly screamed with relief. She had never been so glad to see her ship in her entire career as she was at this moment. Once inside the cool safety of her ship, her normally strong and lean legs trembled like jelly and gave way, forcing her to her knees right there in the middle of the ship's cabin. She wasn't sure if her heart would ever cease its thunderous beat. A sheen of sweat made her face glisten under the overhead light. Her lungs starved for cool air. Anger and relief surged through her as she sat there having been reduced to nothing more than a six-foot-two inch mound of rattled nerves.

This should have been a cake walk for the often-called Legendary bounty hunter. She'd completed missions and felled creatures much bigger – and dangerous - than a pair of Reptillicus Hunters and a Warp Hound. The missions to Zebes, Tallon IV, Aether...the list of her battles could fill entire holo books. So now, why now, had she suddenly found herself so terribly afraid and fleeing from creatures she could kill in her sleep?

 _They would say attachment has dulled my razor's edge - attachment has softened my killer instinct._ Samus found herself saying within the comforts of her ship, referring to her adoptive family. Samus wiped the sweat from her brow. _I would disagree - and probably never hear the end of it from Grey - if anything, attachment has only made it sharper. Forgive me Grey, but this is what I've come to understand..._

Samus picked herself up slowly at first, as her legs still burned and trembled with remnants of fear, then stood on her own two feet in the silence of her gunship, inhaling the sharp coolness of its recycled air. She closed her eyes and simply breathed deeply for a few moments, her vision, her mind, becoming clearer with every exhale. Outside, the Reptilicus and their Warp Hound howled in anger at having lost their prey. Jonas would be making that same noise when he learned that he was on his own for his fuel shipment, but Samus didn't care. Let him howl. Let him find someone else. Let him maybe stop smuggling, and try to be a respectable human being for once. She nearly laughed at the thought, but wasn't that exactly what she was going to try doing?

Eventually, Samus was able to pick herself up off the cold metal floor of her ship, having decided to give herself a quick exam inside the ship's medical bay. As she lay back against the small exam table waiting for the medical apparatus to descend from the ceiling, Samus's thoughts turned to her baby and immediately quickened the beating of her heart. Was it all right? Dead? Damaged for life due to her reckless behavior? Though she'd never been a very spiritual person, for the first time in her life, Samus found herself praying that no ill had befallen her child. She would never be able to forgive herself.

Samus directed the one of a kind device to scan her abdomen before laying back against the table once more. The machine hummed and beeped as it scanned, filling Samus with an unease she only assumed was typical of all expectant female humans before she turned her focus to the small monitor and waited with baited breath.

"Scan complete." said the device in a synthesized female voice. "Condition stable. No abnormalities detected."

Staring at the crystal clear image, Samus soon found herself unconsciously smiling from ear to ear in relief. A slight sigh escaped her as her hands held her stomach. "I think we've had enough excitement for a while, don't you? Let's go home."

Back in the cockpit, Samus activated the ship's auto pilot before keying up her comms unit and contacting Jonas, who she'd caught in the middle of what looked like an alcohol or narcotics binge. He looked like he'd aged twenty cycles in the time she'd spoke to him last. Samus spared him no pleasantries. "Well look at that. For somebody who is supposed to be worried that their cargo went missing, you sure are having yourself an awfully good time, aren't you, you piece of shit?"

Jonas cleared his throat. His eyes appeared bloodshot and beady. "Hey now, what's with that attitude, Aran?"

It was all Samus could do to keep herself from punching the terminal screen. "Don't give me that shit, Jonas. You're lucky that I can't give you my message in person. And trust me, it's very tempting."

Jonas grunted. "Huh? What? What message?"

Samus steeled herself. "Take your contract and shove it up your ass."

Jonas suddenly came alive despite his haze. "Wait just a fucking minute, Aran! What's that supposed to mean?!"

"It means I'm telling you to go fuck yourself, or whomever it is pulling your strings." Samus replied coldly. "Knowing you, you probably pulled this whole missing cargo story out of your ass." She found that she was suddenly furious. "In fact, it's looking more and more likely that's the case considering I've been up and down this whole damn planet and found absolutely nothing to indicate a cargo runner was even here – in the past six months!"

Jonas took the bounty hunter's anger in stride. "You got balls, Aran. Makes me wonder if that pretty little ass of yours is actually more male than female, heh. You know how big of a shitpickle you'll be in if you opt out of this contract?"

Samus remained unfazed by the drunkard's lucid threat. She kept her eyes narrow and voice fierce. "Look at me, Jonas – do I look like I give a shit about your fucking contract or the repercussions? You know it, I know it – you never did have a cargo runner of Fuel Gel go missing, you lying son of a bitch! If you don't tell me what's really going on, you can bet I won't think twice about killing you myself. Trust me!"

Jonas took another swig from his dented flask. "I wouldn't get too cocky, Aran. You wouldn't want your secret to get out now, would you?"

Samus clenched her teeth. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Don't play stupid. You know exactly what I'm talking about. Your tryst with General Malkovich. The runt you're carrying. Need I say more?"

Samus felt an unsettling chill settle in her stomach, yet attempted to mask her sudden unease. "Where did you hear that crap from?"

His tone was casual. "Oh, let's just say I like to keep my ear to the ground."

The bounty hunter was finding it harder and harder to control her temper, watching as McNeil's face contorted into a slimy grin of arrogance. "Bastard. So who's the host this time, McNeil? And don't tell me there isn't one. A parasite can't live without at least one." she retorted, only to quickly add, "You don't have a pot to piss in, much less afford my services."

Jonas smirked. "Let's just say my financial luck turned around recently."

Samus kept her eyes fierce. "If you don't hurry up and tell me who you're working for, I'll have the Federation Police on you so fast it'll make your head spin."

A cocky grin twisted one corner of his mouth. "Be my guest, Aran. I doubt you'd get very far though."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Samus replied, her voice dripping with contempt.

"...You're slipping, Aran. I'm surprised you haven't figured it out yet. But I'm feeling generous so I'll spare you the trouble... I'm working for the Federation, and have been ever since you destroyed the Bottle Ship." Jonas gave a quick shrug before the same slimy grin curved his mouth. "What can I say? I couldn't pass up their offer to clear my criminal record in exchange for helping to nail you to the wall, especially after how you fucked me over all those years ago!"

Samus gritted her teeth, her fists clenching tightly. "You...," was all she was able to say without screaming at the screen and soon fell silent while her rage festered within her. "What are you talking about, fucked you over?"

"Don't play stupid, Aran. You remember! Damian Byrnes!"

The cockpit soon fell into brief silence as Samus attempted to remember that name. The war and subsequent Phazon Crisis were still very fresh in her mind like a fresh, gory wound. Anything that had happened before that was nothing but a blur to her and drifted within her memory as bits and pieces.

"He died because of you, Aran! You were supposed to get him outta there, and you didn't!"

Samus attempted to speak, still unable to remember the man Jonas was referring to. "I-"

Jonas' face grew dark before he turned to angrily throw his flask against the back wall. "He was like a brother to me and you let him die! Well, no more! You may have survived this time around, but next time I'll make sure you SUFFER!"

Samus narrowed her eyes, her expression fierce. "You may as well save yourself the misery of dying by my hand and kill yourself now, because I'll make damn sure you're haunted by me even in your death!"

Jonas wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, his eyes dark and full of rage and hatred. "This ain't over, Aran. And remember - we have everything we need to bury you and General Malkovich should either of you attempt to interfere in the Federation's affairs going forward. Understand?"

"You son of a bitch!" Samus growled before promptly ending the transmission. Silence soon filled the cockpit as Samus sat in the pilot seat, breathing deep and slow with her eyes closed, hoping it would be enough to still her raging fury. She sat like this for a few moments, quietly contemplating her next move until she finally felt calm enough to proceed. While there was no telling how the Federation knew what they did of Samus's personal affairs, she wasn't about to take the chance and give them any more ammunition, so she attempted to curb any further surveillance by disconnecting her ship's many security cameras and running a diagnostic scan of her ship for any foreign transponders.

Once the scan completed, having detected no foreign influence, Samus deemed it safe enough to move on to her next order of business; her fingers quickly keyed up Adam's communication information.

What was she supposed to say?

Would Adam understand the truth? She herself was having trouble with it. There were so many reasons she'd run that she was still trying to sort through. And maybe it was the sorting that had spurred her flight. And then came the task of convincing Adam that her reasons were genuine, and not just excuses designed to get her off the hook.

Everything she had to say was too complicated to put into words, especially the cold, emotionless words of an email. She couldn't avoid him anymore, especially now, and had to talk to him face to face. She settled on a message that she hoped reassured him, and hoped he wouldn't argue with:

" _Adam,_

 _I'm sorry. Meet me at my place – you know where. We have to talk, ASAP._

 _Samus."_

She hit send before settling back deep against the pilot's seat for some much needed rest.

* * *

Adam heard the message alert chime from somewhere deep in a dreamy fog. At first he thought it was an alarm. He fumbled toward consciousness. He'd been in this strange fog of half-sleep for the last month or so, so tired he felt he could sleep for weeks, but so afraid to sleep for even a minute lest he miss something, anything, from Samus.

The beep sounded again and he stretched in the armchair in which he'd fallen asleep. He got up and stumbled toward the console, blinking the sleepy grit from his eyes and grimacing at the dryness in his mouth. He needed a drink, and perhaps a shave, but needed to see his message more.

He didn't expect it to be Samus.

He scanned her message over and over, even though it was so short. He hoped he wasn't dreaming.

Certainly he was confused, and angry and hurt, but he still loved her, still had hopes for their life together with their child, the latter of which he wasn't so sure about anymore. She'd seemed against the notion of bringing a child into the world. At this point, however, he didn't care. He didn't care that she'd said sorry; he only cared that she was safe and ready to talk.

And for the first time in two months, he felt himself beginning to smile.


	8. Reunion

**A/N: Sorry it's been so long since I updated. I've been working on several model kit projects lately and I get REALLY into building them, hehe. Anyway, enjoy the update!**

 **Chapter 8: Reunion (Day 118)**

* * *

 _Bump._

Samus felt the landing gears of her Gunship settle on the platform, then heard the sounds of them depressurizing.

"Landing sequence complete," the mindless computerized voice announced before Samus prepared to exit what had been her home for nearly two months. Her quarters had long since grown cramped and for the first time in her life, she'd never been so glad to be home, on solid ground; she took one last, deep breath of recycled, stale air before leaving the pilot seat to fetch her bag from her quarters. Standing in the center of the ship, she gave its cold steel interior one last sweeping glance, wondering if she would ever hunt again. A tear collected in her eye, which she quickly swept away with the back of her hand. She felt as if she was parting from a dear friend. Somewhere in her heart, however, she felt they would meet again someday.

Adam Malkovich paced uneasily back and forth across the cracked cement sidewalk just outside of Samus Aran's place of residence, a small, dilapidated apartment building located in a particularly seedy neighborhood quadrant of the Helios space colony. Helios was on the fringe of Federation territory and thus rather distant, so in order to make it here quickly, Adam bought a ticket aboard the Concord the moment he first received word from Samus. The air was heavy with thick anticipation underneath the simulated darkness of night. If what Samus told him in her most recent brief message was true, she would be here any minute. For Adam, the wait had been especially aggravating. As a result, he hadn't been able to sleep ever since reading Samus's surprise message to him.

Adam stopped. The bones and tendons in his neck cracked as his head moved from side to side. He could feel the sharp splinters of a headache, most likely fatigue induced, take root at the base of his neck. He reached for one of his shoulders and squeezed and rubbed beneath the fabric of his trenchcoat; it felt tightly knotted like the tangled roots of a tree. He winced at the pain briefly before resuming his slow pace back and forth across the pavement.

But he found himself stopping once more, having suddenly noticed a rather tall blonde woman running towards him.

Samus was standing before him faster than he could register, dressed in a pair of faded jeans and her long, green military style jacket. She looked exactly the same as Adam remembered. Straight blond hair tied back into her signature tail. Still as tall and athletic as ever, though the keen observer in him noticed she appeared a little thicker around the hips and chest even with her coat on. There was something mentally different about her, as well. Her eyes, once hard and cold, now seemed warm and soft. The way she carried herself, though still with confidence and grace, had also changed. Gone, or at least decreased a bit, was the tightly coiled, attack-at-any-minute vibe, and in its place was a more relaxed and peaceful one.

Her eyes looked around the area briefly before turning towards Adam and quickly leading him into the complex.

The tension she suddenly found between her and Adam felt tightly coiled and urgent as she led him into her apartment on the fifth floor. The air felt heavy. Samus felt her flesh prick out in a rash of gooseflesh despite her jacket. The temperature in the room seemed like it suddenly dropped into minus territory as the living room came to life.

Samus could feel her throat tightening, her stomach turning in on itself. That nauseous feeling of a time gone by soon returned. Her tone was cautious and light, similar to how one attempts to walk on eggshells. "Adam... Listen. For what it's worth, I want you to know that I'm all right and..." she paused briefly as her eyes began to burn with tears. She tried to gulp them back, to distract herself by hastily removing her jacket, but they quickly betrayed her will and forced themselves from her eyes. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything. I don't know what else to say."

Adam averted his eyes from the view of the city before closing his eyes briefly. As angry as he felt at this moment, he felt even more pained as the sound of Samus's gentle sobbing skewered his own heart. There were a million anger induced thoughts vying to be taken from his mind to his mouth at this very moment. But the better man inside of himself knew not one of them would prove fruitful. Deep down he knew he couldn't stay mad at her forever. Even now, he could feel his anger at her rapidly dissipating.

He approached the situation with his trademark calmness. "...You can start by telling me what you discovered about yourself out there, Lady."

Samus was caught off guard by his curiosity. It wasn't at all what she'd expected to hear. But anything else, she reasoned, wouldn't be Adam. "What kind of question is that? I disappear for two months and that's what you ask me?"

Adam turned to face her. His posture turned to one of openness and understanding, no longer closed off and defensive. "Call me crazy, but it almost sounds like you _want_ me to be mad at you, Lady. " he noted with bemusement. "You said so yourself that you needed time to figure yourself out, remember?"

The letter. Samus remembered it well. "Yeah..." she said, wondering for a moment if she should divulge the complete truth about her absence. But the tactician in her advised against revealing such actions, for now at least. The situation was on a hair-trigger as it stood, and adding more fuel to it would surely result in a catastrophic meltdown. "I remember." Suddenly exhausted, Samus found the closest available chair and collapsed into it, sighing in comfort as the softness cradled her form. She looked at Adam with a suggestive glint in her eyes "Care to join me or is it too early for that?"

Adam had a seat next to her. He felt awkward, but also like reaching out to embrace her, and never letting her go.

Samus crossed her arms over her midsection and took a deep breath. Despite the defensive gesture, both she and Adam could sense the tension between them dissipating. "...I've learned a lot about myself, Adam. I don't have to tell you that I enjoy my space...and while it was nice for awhile, that feeling didn't last long. I quickly realized that I...I missed you, as corny as it may seem." She took a moment to take his hands in hers. "I've been alone for a good part of my life. And I mean that mostly in a mental way. The Chozo, they... well let's just say they weren't too keen on expressing feelings. Old Bird calling me his child was about the closest I'd ever gotten to feeling like I was loved that I can remember, aside from a hug now and then. I was brought up to believe human feelings were nothing but a hindrance to a warrior. I was brought up to be able to take care of myself."

Adam looked and listened intently.

"So, I was still getting used to having someone around who actually cared about and for me on more than a basic level when the whole pregnancy thing happened. And then you proposed..."

"And you just felt overwhelmed by it all." Adam finished.

Samus looked away from him briefly, feeling embarrassed and ashamed. "Exactly. But I can never forgive myself for feeling so weak and afraid. Not to mention blaming you for everything. It's not your fault, Adam. You didn't deserve that. I'm sorry."

Adam appeared to understand and offered a long overdue apology. "You're human, Samus. It happens. Looking back, I probably should have kept my mouth shut about your suit. I was just worried you were thinking of doing something reckless while in such a delicate condition, without even consulting my feeling about it. But...," a glimmer of remorse filled his gray eyes, "Maybe somewhere deep down I already knew what you were going do about it."

"I had a lot of time to think about that, too. And us..." she trailed off before finally speaking from the depths of her heart. "I was initially terrified at the thought of motherhood. I thought somebody like me could – or should – never be something as nurturing as a mother, given my own upbringing and career. Motherhood is for those women who are loving and nurturing. Not women like me, who kill for money and destroy entire planets." She chuckled nervously at this remark before continuing, "But you know something? The first time I laid eyes on that screen and saw that baby - minuscule as it was - that something we created, I wanted nothing more than to protect and nurture it with everything I had in me. So maybe...I'm more suited to be a mother than I think I am."

"Lady..."

They shared a long overdue tender moment on the loveseat before Samus slowly looked up from Adam's shoulder and into his eyes. "I want to do this with you, Adam. Not alone. I've realized I...I no longer have to go through life alone. If you'll have me...I accept your offer. Again. And no running this time, I promise."

Adam cupped the left side of her face with his hand. His voice was deep and soft as the distance between their lips closed. "I'd be honored to, Samus Aran."

Samus soon broke the kiss with a small smile before remembering the real reason why she'd chosen here as their rendezvous point instead of Adam's apartment. "I hate to ruin the moment, but there's something I have to tell you Adam. It's the main reason why I asked that we meet here in the first place."

Adam regarded her calmly. "Go ahead, Lady."

Samus gathered her wayward thoughts as best she could before speaking. "...These past couple of months I've been on Bryyo working a contract for an acquaintance. He and I go way back; during my early bounty hunting days, he was one of the few to supply me with steady work. Though I didn't care for his way of doing things, we eventually developed an uneasy trust. Anyway..." Samus drew a breath before continuing. "For this contract, I was supposed to recover his missing cargo runner of fuel gel; I spent weeks – months – traversing the planet, with nothing to show for it, until I had had enough and opted out of the contract."

Adam's eyes widened. "You left a job unfinished? You? Samus Aran left a bounty unfinished?" he grinned.

Samus couldn't help but grin herself in spite of the situation. "Yeah, I did. Now shut up and let me finish, OK?"

Adam cleared his throat, his expression now stoic. "I'm sorry, Lady. Please, continue."

Samus went straight for the point, deciding to skip the more mundane parts of her most recent adventure. "In return, he screwed me over – wait, no. More like blackmailed me." she said before quickly adding, "blackmailed us."

There was a hint of shock behind Adam's cool gray eyes. "What are you talking about?"

Samus's tone grew slightly frantic, tinted with frustration and anger. "The son of a bitch has been working for the Federation ever since our mission aboard the Bottle Ship – knowing what he does about me – and you – there's no doubt in my mind that my ship was bugged at some point during the mission aboard the Bottle Ship. Apparently, the Federation had been keeping tabs on him for years due to his activity and discovered our history of working together and offered to wipe his record clean in exchange for helping to nail me to the wall." She balled her hands into tight, white knuckled fists then. "The mission was nothing but a trap, even if it didn't start out that way. It became a trap the second my Power Suit malfunctioned due to the pregnancy!"

Adam, atypical of his usual calm demeanor, looked visibly upset and troubled by the revelation. Just as he was about to respond, however, Samus quickly interjected, nearly lashing out at him. "He wants me dead, Adam! All because of some job I'd done for him years ago that went awry! And, he says he has enough dirt on us to bury us both should we intervene in any of the Federation's plans going forward!"

The General gently grabbed hold of her muscled arms, his gaze never fading from hers. He attempted to project an air of calm, but he was furious on the inside. "Look at me, Samus. Just breathe, okay? This doesn't change anything. We're going to move past this and go on with our lives, understand? Just because they know, doesn't mean we stop fighting against injustices. Besides," Adam felt himself grin slightly, his arm draping around the hunter's strong shoulder, "You'd think by now they'd know not to mess with you."

Samus couldn't help but chuckle as she crossed her arms within Adam's partial embrace. "Right. All this power and technology, yet they still haven't found a cure for their chronic stupidity, go figure."

They shared a moment of much-needed laughter before Samus finally broke into a lopsided grin and grabbed the hem of her blouse, thereby turning the page on their discussion. "Oh, by the way, thought you'd like to see what's been going on down there since I've been gone."

Adam immediately noticed the small bump that had developed in the months since he'd last seen the bounty hunter. Seeing first-hand that Samus had decided to keep their child, Adam felt a wide smile curve his lips in relief. He'd been wondering about it ever since she'd left and quite honestly believed she would ultimately terminate it. But seeing her belly, slight as it was, bulging with new life, he'd never felt more relief in his life.

"You're beautiful, you know that?" he said, marveling at her new figure. "May I?"

Samus chuckled. "Always a gentleman. But you know you don't even have to ask, Adam. It's your baby, too."

Adam reached out to cup the small bulge in his palm and smiled. He kept his hand in a slight rubbing motion against it for a few moments before bending to kiss her navel. He felt Samus combing her fingers through his hair and heard her chuckle. He kissed her stomach again before looking up at her, a soft smile still on her face. "Welcome home, my Lady."

Samus felt herself genuinely smile at the endearing sight of the man before her, still enjoying his touch on her stomach. "I missed you too, Adam."

He took her hand and they sat together. The silence was slightly awkward, but the baby, which was now even more of a reality, helped ease the tension.

"What really made you opt out of the contract, Lady?" Adam finally asked.

Samus felt a nervous twinge in her stomach. She put on a smile and patted his hand. "It doesn't matter."

His brow furrowed. "But it does. I know you, and I know you never leave a job unfinished no matter the circumstances. Regardless of the fact that you were unable to utilize your power suit, your reasons for leaving must have had to be quite extreme."

Though Adam surely meant well, and his concern was well-founded (always thinking like a military tactician) Samus felt instantly defensive. _No_ , she told herself. _Honesty from now on. Secrecy nearly destroyed us._

"I attempted to explore Bryyo Fire in nothing but my Zero Suit, and ended up in a lopsided fight against two Reptillicus Hunters and a Warp Hound. It didn't go well, to say the least."

"Samus," Adam gasped, but it was evident that he too was trying to be on his best behavior. "Are you all right? What about the baby?"

She felt Adam's hands press against her midsection in alarm and gently took them into her own. "Don't worry, we're both fine. I made sure of it by diverting most of my suit's shielding to the baby. And after I was able to escape, I ran a quick scan to make sure it was fine. No problems." she smiled.

Adam sighed long with relief. "Okay. That's good. Good."

Samus placed a kiss on his cheek. "Yeah, you can breathe again. We're all right."

"What did you find in the caves?" Adam finally asked after composing himself.

Samus shrugged. "Nothing. That's the troubling thing. There was no sign that anyone had been there recently. Or that the smugglers just disappeared. So there could have been something more going on than I was aware of. I wasn't entirely in my right mind," she admitted, feeling a touch sheepish. "I'd blame the hormones, but…"

Adam nodded and smiled again. "It's okay. What matters is that you and the baby are safe now. But Lady," he said before his face turned stern. "Don't ever scare me like that again. Please."

Her cheeks flushed. "Given the circumstances at the time, I was pretty scared myself."

Adam's eyes widened. "You? THE Samus Aran was scared?"

Samus blushed even more deeply. "My priorities have changed," she replied, rubbing her small bulge. "In case you haven't noticed."

Adam broke into a wide grin. "I have noticed. And I'm grateful." He took her in his arms and rested his hand on her belly again, as it was quickly becoming his favorite spot. "We'll keep an ear out and make sure nobody causes us any more trouble, and we'll move on with our lives."

Samus rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. She'd never been more grateful for him. "I think I'd like that. But, just to be safe, I think it would be a good idea to check your place for bugs. In the meantime, I'll stay here."

"Sounds like a good idea, Lady. I'll let you know if I find anything." Adam replied before moving to excuse himself from the couch.

Samus grabbed hold of his arm as he stood, pulling him back down next to her. "I didn't mean right this minute. Stay the night." she asked before snuggling into his form. "I know I don't have much here, but I'm not ready to let you go just yet. Please, Adam."

Adam drew his arms around her, inhaling her scent. In truth, he wasn't quite ready to let her go either. She'd been away from him long enough. Too long as far as he was concerned. No, he couldn't leave her just yet. Not tonight. "Noted, my Lady. I'll stay as long as you want, don't worry."

With her most recent mission still taking its toll on her changing body, Samus couldn't help but feel her eyes growing heavy with sleep as their bodies melted together, only to fall to the couch surface; Adam kissed her head, his finger gently brushing away a loose strand of long blonde hair from her face. "Goodnight, Lady." he whispered.

"Yeah. Goodnight, Adam..." Samus replied, her voice heavy with fatigue.

Adam continued to hold her, even long after she'd fallen asleep and eventually he, too, along with her.


	9. Momentary Peace

**Chapter 9: Momentary Peace (Day 119)  
**

* * *

Adam awoke early the next morning (or at least he assumed it was morning; it was hard to tell with the simulated environment), this time with Samus inside her small, rather barren, bedroom, with the bounty hunter sleeping soundlessly next to him. After all she'd apparently been through during these last two months, Adam was all but certain she was grateful to finally get some much-needed rest in her own bed. And looking down at her, a subtle grin on his face as he took note of the fiercely protective way she was hugging her mid-section, there was also no doubt in his mind he was never so glad to see her, to again be with her, in his entire life as he was right now.

Before moving to start what was shaping up to be a busy day for the General, Adam bent over the mercenary's sleeping form, only to place a soft kiss upon her forehead. Samus's eyes twinged briefly upon feeling the touch of affection and for a moment Adam became concerned that he'd unintentionally woken her, but was able to breathe again once he seen her go right back to sleep.

After leaving a quick note on the sole living room table – what Adam could only assume was not only a coffee table, but a dinner table as well – the General quietly made his way out of the apartment and boarded the waiting hover taxi bound for the nearest spaceport and next available flight back home.

* * *

The last time Adam had spoken to Samus, they were together inside of her apartment on Helios. He'd made sure to leave her a note before he left that morning, assuming she would eventually read it...eventually. There was no telling just how long that would be, given the hunter's unusual sleep cycles. Since she'd been living with him, Adam noticed almost immediately that Samus lacked a true sleep/wake cycle – she could literally go for days at a time without sleep, only to spend the next two or more days in an almost coma-like state. Since arriving back home and going about his workday, Adam had sent her several messages between meetings and class instruction, hoping to hear back from her at some point during his busy day. It was only after his last message that Adam truly became concerned, however. It was early evening in the Federation Earth Capital city now, some fourteen hours since he'd arrived back home, with still no response from Samus.

So when he finally made it back home that night, Adam was more than a little relieved – and somewhat surprised – to see Samus sitting casually in the living room, watching a Blast Ball match on the holovision and looking far better than she had on Helios. "Lady?" Adam blurted out before taking his formal hat off and setting it down on the nearby end table. "You're here."

"Hey. I was wondering when you were going to come home." she smiled at him before gesturing for him to join her on the sectional sofa. "Sorry for the silent treatment; I've been busy – the place is clean, by the way. No bugs."

Adam joined her on the couch. It felt good to sit comfortably in his own home after being on his feet (and still dealing with jetlag) all day, and he couldn't keep himself from sighing in comfort before bringing his arm around Samus. "That's good. But you didn't have to do that, Lady. You need your rest."

After a brief outburst at the referee for making, in her mind anyway, a questionable call against the home team for interference, Samus turned her attention back to Adam again. "It's no big deal, Adam. Really. I'm doing much better now. I couldn't say that earlier though."

"Oh?" Adam replied, his heart skipping a beat at the hunter's mention of her well-being earlier. He couldn't help himself from scanning the room for objects she might have broken during her rage. "Lady... You didn't, did you?"

Samus chuckled in her throat. "No, no. But I was pretty pissed, believe me. Turns out my instinct was right – my ship was bugged. Discovered it while I was performing maintenance on it at Diesel's place."

There was a part of the General that didn't want to believe what he'd just heard. The thought of the Galactic Federation snooping on possibly its greatest champion in Samus Aran, the same Federation he'd sworn to protect, was a hard pill for Adam to swallow. And yet, there was another part of him – a big part – that wasn't at all surprised by what he'd just heard. The Federation had been suspicious of Samus ever since her second mission to Zebes ended in the planet, the Space Pirates, and a multi-billion credit research station being destroyed. Should they be in need of her services in the future, he surmised, it wouldn't be without somehow being able to keep close tabs on her.

"I'm sorry, Samus." Adam replied, feeling a tad bit sheepish at his loss for words.

Samus only shrugged. "I figured they would try to keep an eye on me somehow after Zebes, but finding the transponders on my ship pretty much confirmed my suspicion that I'm falling out of favor with them, and have been for awhile." She suddenly shot Adam a look that could cut through bendenzium. "Adam...on the Bottle Ship... You weren't...right?"

Adam held her hands, his intense eyes never wavering from her. "Absolutely not. Not even if they ordered me to do so. I would retire before doing something like that, Lady."

Samus felt the heaviness in her chest fade just a bit. "Good. That's good to know." She moved to kiss his cheek. "At least I still have you in my corner."

Adam smiled gently at her, his gloved hand coming to caress her cheek. "Always, Lady. Always."

* * *

The next day, Adam insisted on taking Samus to see her doctor again just to be safe. While Samus's initial reaction was to run screaming, she instead pasted on a smile and steeled herself for the appointment. While on Bryyo, she'd come to accept the fact that she was moving into a new chapter in her life and would no longer run from it. She was afraid, but would not allow herself to be terrified of what would happen. And when the nurse called for her, she ignored the gawking stares and marched, head held high, into the examination room.

Adam held her hand the whole time. Samus just focused on breathing and keeping her focus elsewhere. She was no longer a bounty hunter who happened to be pregnant. She was a pregnant woman who once happened to be a bounty hunter. Though they were very different in some aspects, Samus found they shared the same emotions. Excitement. Fear. Anger. And while there were no guarantees everything would go as planned in either instance, that wasn't an excuse to cut and run. You kept on going, fighting until you succeeded.

"I'm not going to quit." she told Adam after straightening out her top and sitting up on the exam table.

"Pardon?" Adam replied questioningly.

She wore a hard and determined look on her face. "I'm not going to quit," she repeated before touching her child, "On you or our baby. I'm not going to quit. Whatever happens, happens."

Before Adam could respond, the doctor came back and closed the door behind her. Touched a couple of icons on her tablet. "There we are," she announced moments later before turning her focus to the couple. "I've gone ahead and scheduled your next ultrasound, Mrs. Bailey." she smiled.

"Will we find out the sex?" Adam asked suddenly.

Samus couldn't help but chuckle in her throat at the bright look behind Adam's gray eyes and attempted to curb it in vain. If Adam was trying to hide his excitement, he was doing a poor job of it.

"It's possible," the doctor replied. "But Sam is about seventeen weeks along, and usually we can't tell until between eighteen and twenty weeks – it really all depends on what mood the baby is in," she told them. "We'll also schedule some blood work - if that's all right with you, Mrs. Bailey. You're welcome to come in for the test at your earliest convenience."

It was a whirlwind of information, one that made Samus nearly dizzy, but this time it was with excitement rather than terror. She was really going through with this. They were really going through with this. She suddenly broke out in a smile, and when the doctor left she flung herself at Adam.

"To what do I owe this pleasure, Lady?" he asked, grunting in surprise.

"It's a reality," she murmured, and leaned in to kiss him. "It's really happening." She grinned, " by the way... That look on your face when the doctor mentioned the ultrasound?" Samus felt the grin expand into a full blown smile. "It was priceless. Made me wish I'd brought a camera."

Adam chuckled knowing she was secretly relishing the opportunity to be able to tease him. "You're enjoying this, I know. But I can tell you're excited, too. And that makes me wish I'd brought a camera." he grinned.

"OK, OK, you got me. I am. And it feels very strange."

Adam knew what she'd meant by that, being the only living entity left who truly knew her past. Orphaned at three years old. Taken in by the avian-like Chozo and unethically transformed into a weapon of war over a period of a decade and a half before being thrust into the civilized galaxy knowing nothing of her human origins. Even now, after some twelve years of knowing her, Adam could tell she was still trying to figure out something so basic (to him anyway) as human emotions and behavior. The General chose his words carefully. "I know it does. But you'll adapt to it in time. It's nothing to shun or feel embarrassed about, so try not to think too much about it, OK, Lady?"

Samus simply nodded before making her way to the door.

She was working on getting used to this new version of herself; the rest of the world would just have to do the same.

In the car, she found she was suddenly ravenous; all the excitement of coming home, making amends with Adam, and finding out her pregnancy was progressing well had made her hungry. They settled down at a café and ate together. Again the silence was slightly awkward. "So do you want…" Samus began as she shyly looked down at her food.

"I was thinking we could…" Adam started.

They paused and laughed. "You first," Samus told him. She took another forkful of her pasta and nodded at him to continue.

But Adam was now shoving his food around on his plate, uncharacteristically shy. He smiled and couldn't meet her gaze, which Samus found both disconcerting and endearing. "I thought we might… go shopping," he said at last. "Or at least just look," he added quickly. "I know we'd need to clear out and repaint the spare room, and then possibly get the carpets cleaned… My god," he said suddenly. "There's so much that needs to be done!"

"Adam Malkovich," Samus said, setting her fork down, and leaning toward Adam, trying to meet his bewildered eyes. "I do believe you have made the understatement of the millennium."


	10. In The Wild

**Chapter 10: In The Wild (Day 121)  
**

* * *

Two days later, Samus awoke early that morning in the hopes of being able to catch the sunrise. She addressed her child softly. "Care to join me? It's quite the sight to behold." She felt herself grin afterwards, feeling a bit embarrassed about having almost expected to feel or hear some sort of acknowledgment. It would be some time before that, however; all the books said it was normal to start feeling movement around twenty weeks, but that every woman was different. _Boy, if only they knew_ , she said to herself as she stood to stretch the kinks from her muscles. Ninety-nine percent of her DNA was human, but there was no telling how that minuscule one percent of Chozo DNA would affect her baby. She felt a sudden pang of dread at this thought and quickly moved her focus away from it to the coming beauty outside.

As Samus stepped out onto the terrace, feeling the breeze run its fingers through her loose blond hair and send an ever so slight chill up her spine, she stood at the balcony and just surveyed the already bustling metropolis around her. A gentle orange light was peeking over the distant crags while below her, the sounds of the early morning commute could be heard. She briefly recalled her time as a bounty hunter, thankful that "nine-to-five" had not once been apart of its vocabulary. She was free to move at her own pace, and the only performance marker that mattered was whether or not she'd managed to complete the mission...most of the time. Not whether or not she kissed her boss' ass a certain number of times a month. Though she did have a penchant for collateral damage and this did not sit well with the Federation. Everything involving her job had been done on her own terms. As she continued to stare down at the bumper to bumper traffic below, hearing the blaring of transport beeps and swear words, her hands found her belly and began to stroke it pensively.

"Whatever you decide to do in life," she said softly, hoping her son or daughter could hear her, "may it always be on your terms. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

* * *

Some thirty minutes later, Samus went back inside to find Adam sitting at the table, dressed in nothing but a pair of solid gray pajama bottoms, his head deep in the electronic pages of the daily news. His other signature, a steaming cup of coffee, was in front of him half empty. Samus approached him from his blind side and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Mornin', sleepyhead." she smiled, his hair still damp and fragrant from the shower he'd taken. "I didn't keep you up last night with all that thrashing, did I?"

Adam kissed her cheek. "Morning, Lady. Were you not able to sleep last night?" he asked, placing the tablet on the table. The daily news could wait.

Samus squeezed him tighter, a soft chuckle escaping her. "Relax, Adam. Relax. I'm just trying to still find a comfortable position to sleep in, that's all. Not used to all the space after being in the cooped up quarters on my ship, plus sleeping on my back makes me feel weird."

Adam sighed in relief. Truth be told, he hadn't moved all night and was only now hearing about his partner's lack of sleep. He was just grateful that's all it was. In his ever-willingness to make sure both mom and baby were taken care of, he offered a simple suggestion, "Have you thought of putting a pillow or two between your legs?"

Samus looked at him with bewilderment as she sat down at the table and poured herself a glass of juice. "Well...no. I never thought of that. Where did you find that?"

"A little bird told me." he grinned.

Samus jolted him in his seat, "Don't be a smartass, Adam!"

He chuckled somewhere deep in his throat. "Of course I'm kidding, Lady. I actually read that it helps the woman to sleep if she uses the pillows in conjunction with a side-sleeping position." He gave her the once over, paying special attention to her precious cargo. "But isn't it a little early to be having sleeping problems? It's not even that noticeable. Yet."

Samus was suddenly taken aback. Even after she'd left him for her own selfish reasons, Adam had continued to read everything he could about pregnancy and its various subjects, all because he wanted to make sure, absolutely, positively sure, that Samus would be taken care of should anything suddenly happen. In his own way, he'd kept up the hope that she would come back to him.

She suddenly realized, with crystal-clear certainty, that he hadn't proposed to her because of the circumstances. He truly wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.

And she with him. _So maybe I should be grateful to Jonas for making me realize what I was throwing away. Glad to know at least one good thing came from that disaster..._

"Y-yeah, I suppose it is a little early." she finally replied.

Adam noticed the dreamy look in her eyes. "Are you OK? You look a bit out of it."

She looked at him, a soft smile slowly curving her mouth. "I'm wonderful," she replied. "Just wonderful."

Adam smiled and stood. "Glad to hear it, Lady." he remarked before eyeing the chronometer on the wall closest to the door of their apartment. "I have to get ready for work. Will you be all right by yourself?"

"Yeah. Just don't be surprised if I'm still in bed when you get home. I'm still exhausted."

Adam wouldn't have it any other way. "By all means, Lady. Besides, it's important that you get plenty of rest."

Samus smiled warmly. "Fair enough. Now get outta here."

* * *

Ten minutes later, Adam was off to work, leaving Samus to herself and the daily news Adam hadn't finished reading. She lay on the sectional, one hand resting on her belly while the other held the tablet-sized data pad that came every morning. With Chairman Keaton's term set to expire a few months from now, it was all over the electronic pages of the news. Her eyes were growing heavy reading through the various stories and headlines, when one sidebar in particular jolted her awake.

The Federation had renewed its contract with the Titan Corporation, a research and space development company, for the foreseeable future and was already in the planning stages for its next research and development colony code named "Eos" with completion tentatively planned for sometime within the next five cycles.

The Titan Corporation, often simply referred to as "Titan" was an interplanetary conglomerate specializing in everything from pharmaceuticals and nano technology, to terraforming, space colonization and deep space transport. Far more ominous, however, was their interest in the research, acquisition and experimentation on creatures far and wide in the hopes of turning them into applications for military use or pure profit. And their relationship with the Federation went as far back as the history of the Federation itself, with many speculating just who was controlling who, Titan's influence having permeated the very government itself.

The article went on to state that the Bottle Ship had been manufactured by Titan and originally used as a residential colony, but was later decommissioned after deca-cycles of service. The ship had later been acquired by the Federation and rebuilt into what would eventually become the doomed research vessel.

Samus felt her jaw clench tight as she remembered the horrors she and Adam's men had discovered aboard the illegal research vessel. Creatures turned against their will into the the Federation's next big bioweapon and hiding behind the ruse that such measures were needed if the Galactic Federation were to remain safe and the beacon of hope to the universe. It was a crock if she'd ever heard one. Just how long was this going to go on before something catastrophic – something not even Samus could stop – happened, and the Federation realized the error of their ways?

* * *

Operation: Baby Recon was in full swing later that afternoon after Adam's return home from work. Samus tried her best to be casual and relaxed as they walked through the populated downtown, but her hunter senses were constantly on the lookout for potential threats and security breaches. A rogue vessel would have no issue landing in the downtown square, and it would be no trouble for a swarthy group of criminals or terrorists to infiltrate the malls before they could be secured. Civilians wouldn't stand a chance.

She had to consciously work to clear her mind of these thoughts. "How do you do it?" she whispered to Adam while they walked. "You're highly trained military, and you're just… walking around. Like a normal person."

She expected Adam to chuckle at this, but his expression was pensive. "Honestly? It never truly turns off," he admitted. "I try to separate it from the rest of me. There's a time and a place to be military, and a time and a place to be civilian. Though, lately, I'm happy to say that the human part of me is gaining the upper hand."

"Can't those ever coexist?" Samus asked. "Why do I have to be one or the other?"

He smiled knowingly. "I think both sides of you could coexist, but for you, it will take practice. For now, just smile, try to relax. Look at all the cute little clothes and toys our son will love..." His eyes twinkled with mischief.

"It could still be a daughter," Samus pointed out, falling right into his trap.

"It could also be twins." he grinned.

And that was how Adam learned the hard way that, even four and a half months pregnant, Samus could still hit harder than any of the aspiring soldiers in his command.

They'd both dressed casually and according to the mild weather; Dark gray cargo shorts and polo shirt for Adam, denim capris (complete with an elastic waist band) and lavender blouse for Samus, who wore her hair down long and loose despite the warmth, hoping it might provide her with some shade or disguise. They entered the first department store on their list and headed for the baby section. As they neared the bright section, with its racks of tiny clothes and displayed nursery furniture, her heart beat faster and she thought she might be nauseous.

Adam took her hand and squeezed it as if detecting his fiancee's unease. "We're in this together, Lady," he murmured. "It will get easier. Remember, we're only looking. Think of this as a dry run."

"Right. This is just a recon mission," Samus said with a nervous smile. She took a deep breath to clear her head.

They were soon immersed in a world of pale blues and pinks, sunny light yellows and gentle spring greens. Cribs, dressers, strollers and other furniture. Tiny clothes and soft cuddly toys. Samus couldn't help but feel as if she'd stepped onto another world. Everything around her was bright and joyous, a far cry from the bleak, often hostile worlds she was far more accustomed to. Samus had no recollection of her past life on K2-L, before the Space Pirates razed her colony and the Chozo saved her. After that, it was the harsh training of a Chozo warrior. She didn't recall puffy comforters or musical mobiles. Cushy stuffed animals and brightly colored toys had had no place in her childhood.

They paused before a row of shelves filled with stacks of folded blankets. "Where do we start?" Adam asked, breaking the silence between them.

Samus sighed and leaned against one of the shelves. "I'm glad you're as overwhelmed as I am," she said. They were both smiling, but the fact that they'd both admitted their apprehension relaxed the atmosphere. "Well… we're going to need something for the baby to sleep in, right?" she asked, prodding a pile of pink fleece that she supposed was a blanket.

"Cribs?"

Samus nodded her agreement. "Cribs."

They weren't even sure what to be looking for. While the books stressed safety above all else, they mentioned very little when it came to style and comfort. Every crib they saw looked good; it had a mattress and it was certified secure. They all looked just fine, so their hope of narrowing down this recon mission to something simpler wasn't working out very well at the moment.

Suddenly, "Can I help you?"

The voice came from out of thin air and Samus whirled around, instantly on the defensive. The surprised sales floor worker took a couple steps back and held her hands up in a show of peace. Her smile kept faltering, and she seemed genuinely afraid for a moment. "I'm sorry," Samus finally said. "I'm not used to being sneaked up on." The young lady blinked a couple of times as if trying to register the sight of the rather tall and imposing muscular woman towering over her. "But yes, you can help me," Samus added after another uncomfortable moment of silence.

"We're trying to decide which crib we'd like," Adam said, coming up behind Samus and placing his hands on her shoulders. "We're not entirely sure where to start, just that it needs to be as safe as possible."

"Of course," The sales woman replied, some of the color having come back into her face. "Do you know what you're having?"

"An alien?" Samus replied, more sharply than she'd intended, and she felt Adam's fingers dig into her shoulders a little. _It should be obvious it's a human baby_ , she thought, and tried not to show her irritation on her face. Unfortunately it came through in her voice. "I'm sorry," she said.

The woman laughed, a high pitched giggle that sounded forced and nervous. "That's the first time I've heard that one," she said. "Boy or girl?"

"We're not sure yet," Adam replied. "We're just checking things out right now. It's a lot to consider."

"Absolutely. Well, do you know what style you like?" she asked.

That was how the next hour or so went. Heather, the sales woman, grew progressively more bubbly and insistent, and Samus and Adam knew less and less how to answer the questions she asked. And she and Adam finally agreed to start a registry, whatever that was, at the store just to get Heather to back off.

"That was more exhausting than anything I've ever done involving Space Pirates, Metroids, or hardened criminals," she told Adam once they were out of the store and walking down the street. "I almost think I'd rather do Zebes over again than do another registry. What the hell did we just do anyway?"

"She was awfully pushy," Adam agreed with a nod of his head. "But wasn't it nice to be treated like normal people, rather than celebrities? I don't think she recognized us. And, I think what we just did is make a list of things we'd like to purchase for the baby."

"Not after I scared the crap out of her, no," Samus said with a chuckle. "I have a feeling she'd run and hide if we ever stepped foot in there again. Or, if I stepped foot in there again, at least. We might as well check this place off our list."

* * *

Back inside the store, Heather brought up her communications display while on break in the lunch room. She wasn't sure she was contacting the right person, but she figured what she had was too good to turn down, and she'd get put through to the right person. "Hello," she said, keeping her voice from trembling. "My name is Heather Coriander. I work at a department store, and- no, no, please don't hang up," she said breathlessly. "Today two people who looked a lot like Samus Aran and Adam Malkovich made a baby registry under the names of Samantha and Adam Bailey. I'm pretty sure it was them though. I thought it was a bit strange." She smiled as the voices on the other line grew faint, but more excited as someone was probably stepping away to get another person.

"This is Diana Dumar, Ms. Coriander," someone finally said. "Why don't we talk about how much this information may be worth."


	11. All Bets Off

**Chapter 11: All Bets Off (Day 134)  
**

* * *

It was shaping up to again be one of those nights for the mercenary turned mother-to-be. Now into her twentieth week of gestation, Samus had seen a significant decrease in the symptoms that had plagued her first trimester and thus, was slowly starting to feel like herself again. Unfortunately, that also meant a significant change in her sleeping habits. Where she was once exhausted and sore from the retching, nausea, vomiting and hormonal changes, she was now finding it difficult to fall asleep, suddenly filled with a newfound vigor and hope for the future with Adam and their child.

But it wasn't restlessness keeping her awake tonight. It was excitement. Today was the day she and Adam would (hopefully) find out their baby's gender. Because they were both a bit competitive, she and Adam currently had a little bet going on – if Adam was right and it was a boy, Samus had to attend an upcoming show at the Hall of Performance Arts; if Samus turned out to be right and it was a girl, Adam had to watch an entire sporting event of the bounty hunter's choosing. But it was all for fun of course – boy or girl, they would both love it no matter what.

Because they still didn't know what they were having, Adam and Samus had agreed on a gender neutral crib with pastel green bedding and little etecoons painted on it during a recent trip to another store in which they'd had a much more enjoyable experience with the staff. Once they found out the baby's gender they would be better able to build the nursery around it.

In the living room, Samus was preparing to shut her tablet off when she felt a sudden presence enter the room. "I know it's you Adam. You forget who you're trying to sneak up on," she said among the dim silence.

"Nothing gets past you, does it Lady?" Adam admitted against her ear before placing a kiss on her cheek.

"You bet your ass it doesn't," Samus grinned before putting aside her tablet.

Adam joined her on the sectional. One strong hand came to rest atop her stomach which had grown just a bit since her return from Bryyo. But thanks to her athletic physique it was still difficult to truly see from a distance. They sat there in silence for a few minutes simply enjoying each others' warmth and company; Samus allowed one hand to join atop Adam's while she rested her head against his shoulder.

"Can't sleep again?" Adam asked, his big hand moving in slow circles against her abdomen. "You're not having those strange dreams again, are you?"

She closed her eyes, allowing herself to drift for a moment. "Oh...that strange dream." In it, Samus gave birth to a child with Chozo features and the race's long lost ability of flight... "No, no," she finally replied with a slight chuckle before snuggling into Adam's chest. "I'm just having one of those nights again." She looked up at him, his gray eyes looking back at her. "Do you mind...you know...at least until I fall asleep?"

Adam smiled softly at her. "Of course not, Lady. All night, if that's what it takes."

When she woke later that morning, Adam was no longer next to her, and she was lying in their bed, covered in the sheets. "Shit. Where'd that come from?" she wondered aloud groggily while trying to stifle a yawn and sitting up. Looking around the room, she found no trace of Adam. "Hey, Adam? Are you still here?" she asked, hoping he was just in the kitchen or somewhere else inside the apartment.

He came into the bedroom minutes later, dressed casually in a pair of gray jeans and dark colored polo shirt. "You're awake. How did you sleep?" he asked before coming to join her on the bed.

"Good, I'd say; one minute we were talking, the next thing I know, I'm waking up in here," she replied with a grin. "What time is it?"

"Almost time for your appointment." Adam replied, trying in vain to hide his enthusiasm. Adam had made arrangements weeks ago to have this day off in order accompany Samus to her appointment. He'd more or less been able to be with her at every visit, but there was no way in hell he was going to miss this one in particular.

Samus gave her belly a pat before swinging her legs from underneath the sheets. "Well then, I guess I'd better get moving, then. The sooner we find out, the more time I'll have to decide on what sporting event we'll be watching."

* * *

Samus and Adam were sitting in the waiting room several hours later. Despite the fact that the speculators were still conjuring up garbage tabloid stories about whether or not the legendary bounty hunter was expecting, the experience in getting here had actually been rather pleasant and uneventful. When her name was called, Samus stood with her head held high, not caring – or even much noticing – the glances and whispers that followed her and Adam's exit from the room. She'd decided a long time ago that she'd gone through hell and back to get to this point in her life. And nothing, unless it ultimately came to blows, was going to ruin it for her.

While her height had remained unchanged, she learned she'd gained more weight. "You're around two-hundred-eight pounds now, Mrs. Bailey. Yet you're still so athletic – how do you do it?" the nurse asked behind a wide smile.

Samus stepped off the scale. _It's simple – I'm one percent alien,_ she thought to herself. _That would freak her out, just like with that pushy bitch at the department store._ But now wasn't the time for witty comments; she was instead casual in her response, "Health has always important to me, but even more so now." She smiled and patted her belly. "Got to keep in shape so I can keep up with this little one."

The nurse laughed and smiled. "So true. If only I had known just how much of a spark my twins were going to be, I'd have done more to keep up with them. Little pistols I tell you. Always running everywhere, getting into everything. Even in my belly they never stayed still!"

Samus stepped off the scale, unsure how to reply. She wasn't exactly a chatter box to people, but she couldn't help but feel appreciative of the nurse and the fact that she clearly thought of her to be a normal human being. So, she reasoned, maybe they weren't all bad. Or maybe, Samus wondered, she just didn't recognize her.

Before Samus had time to reply, the chatty nurse was leading her and Adam down the hall and into an exam room.

"Dr. Livingston will be with you shortly, Mrs. Bailey. Good luck to you and your partner!"

With the two of them behind closed doors, Samus beckoned Adam with a slow wag of her finger. But the tactician in Adam knew better. "Don't think so, Lady. Not going to work." he said with a straight face as he sat next to the door.

So, she let him have it a different way. "I caught you winking at me when the nurse mentioned her twins – what the hell makes you so certain I'm having twins?!"

Adam shrugged, a smirk tugging at one side of his lips. "Call it a hunch, Lady. Besides, this way, we both win – girl for you, boy for me."

Samus immediately discounted his asinine theory, "Sounds to me like you're trying to chicken out of our bet – besides, a boy and a girl is only one possibility, numb nuts; it could also be two of a single sex. Two girls ought to make you shit." She laughed.

From his position near the door, Adam thought he could hear footsteps approaching. "Touche, my Lady. We'll see about that – the doctor is coming."

Seconds later there was a knock at the door, followed by an upbeat voice. "It's Dr. Livingston. May I come in Sam?"

The door slid open. Dr. Livingston walked in and shook Adam's hand before coming to stop between him and Samus. "So good to see you both," she said and smiled before turning on her tablet. "Just looking at your newest data and everything looks great; you're gaining weight nicely. Though, I am a bit concerned to see that you have yet to have your blood panel done. I can assure you all information will be kept confidential, if that's what's keeping you from coming in."

Normally, Samus would have easily become angry over the doctor's insistence. But she'd made a promise to herself, Adam, and their baby that she would work on reigning in her hair-trigger temper from now on. Instead, she took a moment to steel herself and inhaled. Finally, "I know you're just trying to help, but I simply can't take that risk. I'm sorry."

Just because she'd promised Adam and their baby she would work on controlling her temper didn't mean she was going to give in and have her DNA become front page news.

Dr. Livingston promptly turned her tablet off. "Of course. That is your right. Well then, let's just see how you are." The doctor moved to prep the ultrasound apparatus. "Apologies in advance if this is a little cold, Sam."

Samus shivered as the gel made contact with her belly; her grip around Adam's hand instinctively tightened, then relaxed. Seconds later, their baby was presented before them, looking decidedly bigger and much more human than at precious visits. Gone were its stubby appendages and blobbish appearance. They could now easily make out its head, arms and legs. And contrary to her recurring dreams, there was no bird-like beak or winged vertebrae to be found, either. This development made Samus feel unusually relieved.

As the scan continued, the doctor moved the transducer around to point out things of interest – her finger traced along the baby's back, "This little string of pearls is the spine," then pointed to the pulsing white dot in the chest, "Here's the heartbeat – take a listen." And with the simple push of a button, their auditory senses were treated to the fast-paced rhythmic beating of the tiny infant's heart.

Samus closed her eyes and sighed, feeling as if she would melt. It was the most beautiful sound she'd ever heard, and was quite a contrast to the usual sounds of agony she was used to hearing. She felt Adam's lips peck her cheek. "Are you hearing this, Adam? It's amazing." she gasped, squeezing his hand.

Adam's voice was soft. "Loud and clear, Lady. Loud and clear." He squeezed her hand back before turning his focus briefly to the doctor. "It's really fast. Is that normal, doctor?"

The doctor was quick to ease his concerns as she continued to observe. "Absolutely, Mr. Bailey. A strong and healthy 140 beats per minute – perfectly normal." But her motion slowed, then stopped and her gaze remained fixed on an area of particular interest. Much to Samus' and Adam's dismay, she sounded quite elusive. "That's interesting..."

Samus felt uneasy, "What? What's wrong? Adam, can you see anything?"

Adam squeezed her hand and rubbed her shoulder. "Don't worry; I'm sure everything is fine. Just relax."

But his words and gestures weren't enough to quell her panic and unease. "Don't tell me to be calm, goddamn it! Doctor what the hell is going on?!"

Much to Aran's disdain, the doctor remained perfectly calm and even smiled. "Nothing for you to panic over, Sam. I was just making sure of what I was looking at."

But Samus was in no mood for games. "Damn it, what?! What are you looking at?"

The doctor's disconcerting smile grew larger, the crows feet around her eyes more prominent. "Would you like to know the sex of your baby?"

Both Samus and Adam felt a wave of relief encapsulate them as they looked at each other.

"Yes. Just so long as Adam here is ready to watch a little mutant football."

"Absolutely. Just so long as Sam has a nice dress picked out for the opera."

The doctor, still cheery, couldn't help but look at them strangely. "Pardon?"

After a brief explanation of their friendly bet, Dr. Livingston merely laughed. "Well aren't you two the competitive couple? Looks like you're going to the opera, Sam – it's a boy. Congratulations!"

"You should wear your Little Black Dress, Lady." Adam grinned before kissing the hunter's forehead.

"Oh shut up. You probably spiked my food with something to ensure it was a boy." she replied with mock accusation. She truly was happy.

The doctor couldn't help but share in their playfulness despite being equally perplexed by it. Neither one looked like the playful type. Somehow, they now appeared even more human to her. After all, it wasn't every day she dealt with expectant couples who had playful bets involving their unborn child. "I'm just glad no bridges were burned with the news," she remarked with a smile.

Adam raised a hand in a gesture of peace, which also told the doctor not to worry. "We kid around, but we both know you have no more control of what's happening in there than Sam and I do."

The doctor examined the screen once more. "You're not the first man to come in here and hope for a boy, believe me. You know how it is – Mom wants a girl, Dad wants a boy. And poor Dad is usually always the one who comes up short," she chuckled. "Oh listen to me – I'm rambling! Did you two have any questions?"

Any questions? The concept was an understatement if Samus had ever conceived of one! So many questions were tangled in her mind that it was hard to pick even just one to start with.

An exchange of questions and answers took up the final ten minutes of her appointment. Dr. Livingston gave them yet more files about childbirth and parenting classes and things to watch for, plus a myriad of other information. "I suggest enrolling in a parenting and childbirth class right away; they often fill up rather quickly. Of course, if you would rather have a more individualized and private setting, I can also give you the names of several instructors who practice one-on-one classes. Keep in mind, these are more expensive than a group setting."

It was almost too much information for Samus to process; either due to her higher blood volume or the massive overload of information, she could feel the beginnings of a headache root itself on either side of her head. What she wouldn't give for a nice warm soak and a nap right now. In the meantime she took a deep breath. It was a good thing Adam was used to processing copious amounts of information at once! Samus leaned on him for support while the appointment drew to a slow close. "Did you get all of that, Adam?"

Adam tapped his temple and grinned. "It's all here."

Another routine appointment was scheduled to take place exactly a month from now.

* * *

"You owe me big time for this, Adam." Samus mentioned while they walked down the hall and through the waiting room peppered with couples and single women alike. Truth be told, she knew she'd had nothing to do with the baby's gender, but why not reap a favor or two from it?

Adam brought their joined hands to his mouth to kiss her fingers. "Anything, Lady. Just say the word."

Samus waited until they were outside, the warmth of the day feeling good against her face and arms. She embraced him suddenly, even as bystanders and passersby rushed up and down the sidewalk. But they were much too busy with their own lives to notice the power couple embracing on the sidewalk. Did they even care? Maybe not, but the media sure as hell did. And for a moment, Samus hesitated in her embrace, sure that one of these people were actually a reporter. _Fuck them. I've never been so happy in my life,_ she concluded with a smile. Still, the perpetual hunter in her kept her eyes peeled for suspicious activity. Samus ran her fingers through Adam's midnight black hair. "I've already made up my mind."

Adam traced his hands up and down her hips as a slight chuckle came from somewhere deep in his throat. "I expected no less. So, what's on your mind, Lady?"

She looked deep into his eyes before addressing him. "Let's go to Aether and get married." she replied, her voice a mere whisper. "Get away from all this chaos."

His hands came to rest at the small of her back, his mouth slightly agape. "Aether? Correct me if I'm wrong but, isn't there still a chance Phazon may still be present within the planet's surface? I know that mission of yours was a few years ago but, well, you can't fault me for being concerned."

"No, I understand. I just thought of Aether because U-Mos still owes me one for getting rid of the Ing. And besides, the Luminoth are the closest allies of the Chozo. Or, I should say, were the closest allies to the Chozo. They welcomed me with open arms."

Adam appeared pensive. "U-Mos...that name sounds familiar. I believe a cadre of his people came to the Federation Senate to plea for assistance in ridding their homeworld of the Phazon remnants shortly after your mission there. They mentioned you, how you saved them and their planet. I'm unsure if their motion was ever granted. I'm guessing it wasn't since the Federation was blinded by the scientific possibilities of such a dangerous substance."

"The Federation, always blinded by the possibilities," Samus reflected with a slow nod. "Then they call on me to fix their fuck ups." she giggled.

They shared a moment of laughter before Adam's face grew bright. "I have an idea. I've still got some pull in the Federation. I'll use it in order to check for Phazon contamination of any kind using the Army's latest hazmat detection apparatus. If it gives the all clear, we'll leave as soon as possible."

"Wait a second, I have to sit down." Samus began, unsure if she was hearing him correctly. "Wouldn't that be considered an abuse of power? Wouldn't you get in trouble for that? And you...well, let's face it, you always go by the rules, Adam. You'd go through all that trouble and red tape just for me?"

Adam moved his left hand around her back to her belly, stroking it with his thumb. "I would. For both of you," he smiled.

* * *

Their trip home was quiet as they both considered the outcome of the appointment. Adam spoke suddenly. "At least we know what to do now."

It was rather vague, Samus thought. "Know what to do about… what?" she asked. "The press? I'm starting to feel like we need a lawyer to follow us everywhere. Or at least get every person we interact with to sign nondisclosure agreements."

"That's actually not a bad idea," Adam mused. "But I was thinking more along the lines of the nursery. We're going to have a son!" he beamed, already swelling with fatherly pride.

"I think the etecoons will be a good fit," Samus said, trying to be wise and serious, but she couldn't keep a straight face, and began laughing. Tears squeezed out of her eyes and she rested a hand on her stomach. "Our little etecoon," she said, staring down at her belly.

Adam couldn't help but share his fiancee's sentiments, a grin spreading from ear to ear. "Our little etecoon... I like it."

Though they'd initially headed for home, they took a detour for more "Baby Recon" and ended up at an interior design shop. Samus's head was spinning; she'd thought there was only furniture to worry about, and clothing, and other necessities. Now they had to think about parenting classes and nursery painting and nursing…

Nursing.

The word struck terror into her; having been raised among a birdlike race, she hadn't ever witnessed the act, and the little she did know about it from normal humans, books and the Aurora Units made her shudder. Thoughts of classes and pumps and people talking casually about breasts and deep breathing and labor flooded her mind and made her want to laugh hysterically with the horror of it all.

"Lady?" Adam was asking. "Did you want to use a blue, since we know, or stick with the green? I feel that either one is a soothing color… Sam?" he asked.

"I need to sit down," she replied, calmly fanning herself with her hand. "I'm having information overload, and if I don't do something I may blow a gasket or puke."

Adam blinked as he tried to process this statement, but then nodded. "Thank you, we'll just take some swatches for now," he told the eager counter clerk, and grabbed a few panels of differing shades of light green. "I know just the thing," he murmured into Samus's ear, taking her gently by the elbow and guiding her toward the exit.

When they pulled up at the Army Academy a quarter of an hour later, Samus was mystified. "Why are we here?" she asked, fixed on the massive domed complex and it's own budding community of smaller buildings. "Especially after what you told me earlier?" she added before slipping a pair of sunglasses on.

"I know what will help you relax," Adam said knowingly. He took her by the hand and led her down the wide outdoor promenade. Even in his civilian clothes, Adam commanded attention. Everyone he passed, most of which were Cadets going from one hall to another, stood to quick attention, knocking each other out of the way just so they could salute him. "At ease," Adam announced. "Just here for recreation. As you were!"

Samus tried to ignore the perplexed glances even as she wondered what sort of recreation Adam would find at his other place of work. She also had little idea of what recreation truly was. She'd spent the last few months trying to be a normal human and failing miserably or engaging in battles with the locals of other planets; her idea of recreation was making sure she and her baby stayed out of the news, or that her baby was indeed developing normally. Perhaps, she wondered, it really was time for a hobby.

"Here." Adam stopped before a smaller complex and fished out his identification. He swiped it and guided Samus through a sliding door that clicked shut and locked behind them.

"I think this will be good for you." Adam handed Samus a pair of safety glasses and earphones from a rack. He smiled, and her eyes lit up. She felt more relaxed already.

And even more relaxed when she held a Federation-issue assault rifle in her hands, firing at a Space Pirate-shaped hologram on the other side of the room. Life was simpler when all she had to do was know what and where the target was. The hologram fizzled and produced a new target, this one shaped like a Metroid, and she loaded, fired; the target shifted again. Some alien she didn't recognize. No matter, load, fire, empty, reload. She functioned on muscle memory alone.

She emptied her final clip and removed her safety gear, her entire body feeling electric and alive. Her data was available for inspection at the exit terminal, and she was pleased to see her skills had not faded in her new life. "Thank you, Adam. That felt good. Really good." she said with enthusiasm.

Adam grunted with surprise as her body suddenly met his. "Anytime, Lady. Anytime." He eyed the data on the screen. "And it's nice to see civilian life hasn't dulled your edge, either. one-hundred percent accuracy rating. I'm not surprised."

As they walked out, she felt the slightest flutter in her belly suddenly. But because she was walking, Samus readily attributed the slight flutter to gas build up or a hunger pang, which was much more likely. They stopped and got a quick bite to eat on the way home.

But even with a full stomach, the fluttering in her belly continued. As they stood in the elevator on the way up to their apartment, Adam sensed the energy of his other half suddenly ripple like that of a stone hitting a lake. She'd grown quiet since stepping into the elevator, and Adam immediately began to wonder if everything was all right. "Everything OK, Samus?"

His question never once pierced her mind, her entire focus having shifted to the fluttering in her belly. "Like butterfly wings" the book had said. _But what do those feel like?_ she wondered. While there had been plenty of insect species on Zebes and the other planets she'd visited, Samus was usually too busy to notice them, much less what their wings felt like against her skin.

"Adam, I..." she broke her grip through Adam's hand, moving to touch the left side of her stomach suddenly. "...I think something is happening." she announced quietly just as the elevator stopped and the doors slid open.

Despite his years of having to be composed under pressure, Adam couldn't help but feel a sliver of alarm pierce his usually impenetrable mental shields. The reserved, almost apprehensive way she'd mentioned it filled him with great concern. Even with today's medical technology, the baby wouldn't stand a chance if it was to be born right now. Adam led her slowly out of the elevator, his hand coming to rest against the small of her back. "Something? Are you all right?"

Strangely, Samus appeared calm and almost tranquil despite not knowing what was going on. "Yes...I think so. But let's go inside first." she replied and started for their front door. Adam followed close behind.

Inside and away from prying eyes, she quickly pulled her blouse up and moved Adam's hand to the front of her belly. "Here, tell me if you can feel anything. It happens fast so you really have to focus."

Adam held his gaze on Samus's belly, willing his hand to be still while he waited in the silence of their living room. Seconds went by in their agonizing way, still Adam felt nothing. And Samus herself began to doubt that the initial flutterings were in fact the baby and simply gas bubbles after all. Still, Adam kept his hand stationary. Finally, after what seemed like hours, his fingertips registered the eerie sensation. The fluttering, like butterfly wings. It was sporadic, and slight in intensity, but there nonetheless. Adam smiled, transfixed on the awakening world beneath his fingers. "There. I felt it right now. It felt like a gentle popping, right?"

Samus nodded quickly, relieved to know that Adam had felt the same sensation she's just felt. "Yes!" the hunter beamed. "So it wasn't my imagination after all."

They stayed like that, in silence, as the world continued to move around them, until the fluttering finally ceased and the reality of it all finally settled over them like a shroud: there was still much work to be done. But there was still much to enjoy as well.

Samus held her gaze on Adam's bright face, he too, still riding the exhilaration of feeling his son's first movements. She took the paint swatches from the breast pocket of his shirt and let them lazily fall to the floor. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him close. "This will be over before we know it, Adam. Let's enjoy it while we can." she said softly and claimed his lips.

After a few moments, Adam broke the kiss to draw a breath. He glanced at the discarded paint swatches scattered on the floor. "You're right; I guess we can worry about the little stuff later. That being said..." he broke out into a grin. "You don't really have to go to the opera. Nobody should be forced into something they don't want to do."

Samus shook her head, taking hold of Adam's hand. "You're right but wrong, Adam. I do want to go with you. Being with you is all I care about." she smiled despite suddenly feeling incredibly vulnerable. "Besides, I think it would help break up the monotony. Who knows, I may even enjoy it."

Adam merely smiled, nodded, and guided Samus into their bedroom to rest. He, however, had homework to do...


	12. Departure

**Chapter 12: Departure (Day 145)**

* * *

 _Time: 1030a_

 _I can't believe it's almost been six months. I remember being so angry when I found out I was pregnant, that my first, gut reaction was to punch out the walls and get an abortion. And now I lie awake at night waiting for my son to kick. It's still barely more than flutters here and there, but I feel it and I know he's in there growing and waiting to come out and I'm ashamed of my first reaction. To my little etecoon, I'm sorry._

 _But I also have to remind myself, as Adam often does, that I am a different person than I was five and a half months ago. I've made peace with the fact that I don't have to sacrifice who I am at my core in favor of being able to live a quiet life. Though, it will take some time for both sides of myself to peacefully co-exist. I'm a person who is learning what it means to be human. I'm not a war machine, I'm not a bounty hunter, I'm not even a so-called Galactic Savior. I'm a person, and while it's a lot to get used to, I'm trying to enjoy the journey._

Samus put the finishing punctuation into her latest data log entry and closed her tablet. At first, she'd thought that keeping a journal was silly, but she was now finding that it made it easier to sort through her feelings about her pregnancy or just muse about the goings on around her. Trying to sort it out on her own was what led to her flight to Bryyo in the first place. Since then she was struggling to trust herself and her medical team. It was a struggle, but at least she was trying.

She was also trying hard to be out among regular people. For the past couple weeks or so, she'd made it a goal to go to a different place everyday. So far, she'd visited a park, a clothing store to buy herself some new outfits (one of which was on the risque side), a bookstore to buy yet another pregnancy book, a coffee shop and a gym, among other places. And while she didn't start any conversations with the people she'd met and was disguised each time, Samus felt good about her experiences and believed she was making slow, but steady, progress in becoming a normal person.

She stood, stretched, and headed into the spare room, where Adam was working on painting the walls. Even though they knew it would be a baby boy, they'd opted for a shade of pale green. As usual, Adam was precise about his paint job: he'd taped off every baseboard piece, laid out a drop cloth, and worked in meticulous sections, always careful never to drip, even though there was a drop cloth protecting the floor.

Samus smiled as she watched him paint. Had she been the one painting, she would have attacked the job with far more gusto, and probably gotten a few more drops on the carpet. She was used to shedding blood, after all; how different could painting be? But it made Adam feel good to work with his hands in his own home, so she left him to it. She cleared her throat, and he looked up.

"Lady," he acknowledged, after wiping the excess paint off his brush and laying it in the tray. "The painting's going well, the Cadets are on leave, and so far, no issues with tabloid presses or retribution. Whatever will we do?" he asked with a grin before brushing his hands off on an old, faded, heather gray t-shirt with the word ARMY on it. He approached Samus for a hug.

They hugged, and Adam rested his hand on the still soft swell of her stomach, a smile of anticipation on his face.

"He may be sleeping," she told him, "especially after having such a busy night last night."

Adam nodded, pensive. "Oh?"

Samus pulled away from him. "Yeah. I felt like I was in one of those science fiction movies, you know, before the creature explodes from their body," she grinned while pantomiming the scene. But what was supposed to be a joke quickly turned into a knot forming in the pit of her stomach. The hunter gazed down at her belly, suddenly nervous. "...Adam, you don't think... Especially with my DNA..."

Adam's hand found hers. "That you're gestating an alien? No, Lady." He willed his hand into a slow rubbing motion. "While it's true we don't know what will happen, I'd say it's very unlikely that our son is one of those chest bursting aliens from the movies."

Samus felt herself chuckle. Perhaps she was worrying about nothing. The thought of her gestating such a creature did sound rather silly. As did her reoccurring dreams of her baby being born with a Chozo beak and being able to fly. Maybe her baby was just naturally active. Samus was by far the more athletic one, but Adam wasn't exactly a couch potato himself. Perhaps, she surmised, he'd just inherited his parents' athletic prowess. "Yeah...you're probably right. It's probably just the hormones talking."

Adam smiled and kissed her cheek before returning to his work. "Why don't you go out to the firing range again," he suggested suddenly. "You have to be bored cooped up here with me slathering paint on these walls all day."

Samus laughed. "You're hardly slathering anything, Adam," she jested. "But… it would feel good to get off a few rounds, and it may wake up the little guy again. I think he enjoys it, to be honest," she said with a wink.

"He's definitely his mother's son." Adam gave her another quick peck on the cheek and shooed her off, out of their son's bedroom. Once the door closed he wiped his brow and picked up his own tablet he'd strategically hidden underneath the drop cloth. He logged into the comms, as he'd done every day since their conversation about Aether. Every day, he sighed with disappointment when there was no message from the Army's Chief Science Officer regarding Aether's safety. He figured today would be no different.

But his heart leaped when he saw the message he'd been waiting for. "Phazon contamination negligible, readings at zero percent and holding." he murmured, his smile growing over his face. "Life forms confirmed non-hostile and intelligent. Perfect," he said to the paint fumes. "Just perfect."

* * *

Hours later, When Samus returned home after day full of shooting at pirate-shaped targets and treating herself to a bit of pampering, her abdomen was all a-flutter and she was exhausted. But she doubted sleep would come easily to her: when the baby decided to get going, everyone knew about it. She allowed herself to fall into the plushness of the sectional and sighed as her body made contact with the pillows.

She felt a sudden pop on her left side and patted it. "Easy in there. I know it's hard, but you still have a way to go. In the meantime, let's go see what your father is doing!"

The nursery painting was finished: walls, trim, and all. The paint, brushes, and drop cloth had been picked up and the carpet freshly vacuumed. Adam was not in there, so she checked the bedroom next. He wasn't there, either, but the light in the adjoining bathroom was on and she heard him humming.

"Awfully cheerful, aren't we," she whispered as she rounded a corner. But she soon stopped in her tracks.

He was dressed in his formal military parade dress, with creases sharp enough to cut brinstone, and white shoes polished to a high sheen. His many campaign markers and medals proudly hung on the left breast of his belted, blue and gold General's coat. Samus was well aware of her own knit pants, loose top, and long hair that, while up in its usual tail, had strands escaping around her face. "What's the occasion?" she asked, as a pit formed in her stomach. "Something going on at the academy?"

Adam turned and quickly cleared his throat, surprised. "Lady. I didn't expect you home this early," he said. "I've planned a special outing for us. It would require you to change your attire though," he said after appraising her disheveled looks.

"Not the opera, already," Samus said, suddenly apprehensive. "I thought we were going to wait until after the baby's born; there's still a chance it could be a girl and you'd have to watch the big game!"

Adam smiled and shook his head. "No, nothing like that. I've taken the liberty to start packing for you, though I'm not sure what else you'd like to take."

Samus turned and saw that a small travel case was laid out on the bed, with Adam's already packed up and waiting by the door. She had to blame her hormones for missing out on that observation! "Why else would you dress up?" she asked, suspicious.

"For my wedding of course," he told her, trying to hide the grin. "I got the all-clear earlier today from the CSO. We're going to Aether, Lady."

Aether. Only Tallon IV held a greater place in Samus's heart, and that was because it was there that she'd learned so much more about the Chozo and their place in the galaxy. But Aether and the mysterious Luminoth were also close to her heart. They'd known the Chozo. They'd shared knowledge. And most of all, they'd welcomed Samus among them. She would always be little more than a fledgling by Chozo standards, and yet she'd been welcomed on Aether.

"We'll have to take your Gunship," Adam was saying as he slipped on his white gloves and formal hat. "The last time the Federation was on Aether, things did not go well."

"That's an understatement," Samus interjected, her head still spinning at the idea that she would be returning to Aether after a few years away. She longed to see the planet in balance again, light and dark coexisting rather than at constant odds with one another.

"The Luminoth will recognize your ship, and perhaps you can hail U-Mos from it." Adam exited the restroom and sat on the edge of the bed. "We'll wed in a simple ceremony, just you, me and the Luminoth as witnesses." His voice had an almost dreamy quality to it, and his eyes sparkled with joy and pride as he gazed up at Samus.

Samus simply smiled at him. "Sounds like a plan."

* * *

It felt good to be in the cockpit again, and this time because she truly wanted to, not because she felt driven to it by circumstances beyond her control. But to sit in the pilot's seat, with Adam beside her was exciting. It felt like she was sharing an intimate part of herself with him very few ever got to see. As the voice of her ship's onboard computer confirmed that all systems were go, she glanced at Adam. "Ready?"

Samus maneuvered her ship into the stream of slow, ground-level ship traffic and taxied her way to the take off zone. She'd worried at first that she wouldn't be able to recall how to pilot, that the hormones would have taken their toll on that aspect of her as well, but her fears were proven wrong. Every control felt right; her hands knew which levers to pull and which buttons to press; her eyes found every display she sought out. She made it to the take off zone without issue, and glanced over at Adam again, repeating her previous question. "Ready?"

"Good to go, Lady," he said.

Samus grinned. "Good. Here we go!" she announced, and pulled the throttle as she released the fuel cell locks.

The ship roared around her, a sound that always brought her pleasure and a feeling of exhilaration. She angled the nose of her Gunship up thirty degrees and the world below them grew smaller. She kept going up, not quite vertical, and angling to the side. Soon all she could see were clouds below, and the sky, brilliantly blue, all around them. And still they ascended, the roar of the engines like music in Samus's ears.

The blue continued to deepened around them. Samus pulled the control back to get more speed, and the blue darkened until it was nothing but blackness and stars above and around them, and the mass of Earth below. Samus gunned the thrusters more to pull away from the gravitational field of the planet, and soon there was no roar and no feeling of speed or ascension: just the quiet, calm floating through space. She put her ship on auto and leaned back, eyes closed. "I hate to admit it," she began. "But being here, in space, is where I feel most relaxed. Maybe I should give birth here."

"Then our son's just going to have to get used to flying early on, I guess. And, I'm not even sure that's legal, Lady. I'd have to double check, but I don't think you're allowed to command a vessel and give birth at the same time. Distracted flying." Adam said with a witty smile.

They floated in silence for a moment, both staring down at the planet. Somewhere down there was the home they'd left behind and a home they were trying to make, one step at a time.

"Something on your mind?" Adam asked at last.

"Not much," Samus replied, and gnawed on a pesky hangnail. "Just thinking about what happened the last time I went off into space in my Gunship. Hopefully things will go a lot more smoothly this time around though."

Adam reassured her. "I'm sure everything will be fine."

Samus attempted a smile, but her voice wasn't very convincing in spite of her excitement over being with Adam on Aether. "You know how bad shit tends to follow me like a stink on a dachora. Who's to say it won't now?"

Adam reached to grab her hand, white gloved fingers lacing through hers. "It'll be all right."

Samus ducked her head, trying not to show her sudden apprehension. "I hope you're right. Maybe I'm just nervous about the ceremony." She maneuvered the pilot's seat backwards towards the cockpit door before standing, reaching out to Adam. "It's going to be awhile before we're even in the vicinity of Aether; the ship's onboard computer will announce once we're in Aether's trajectory. In the meantime, care to join me in the back?"

Adam nodded before allowing himself to be led from the cockpit, through the cabin, and into Samus's quarters. Inside the small space, Samus eased him down onto her bed while she remained standing, her eyes holding him in apprehensive focus. Adam encircled her waist with his arms, pulling her close. "I love you, Samus Aran." he murmured, "And I can promise you that everything will be all right." He moved to kiss her stomach. "That goes for you too, squirt."

Samus exhaled deeply before bringing her strong arms around Adam's shoulders. "I love you too, Adam. We love you."

The General's hands found the front of her belly, remaining there while he looked intensely up at his mercenary wife-to-be. His keen senses were able to pick up even the slightest movements, and despite the atmosphere, it was right around the time Samus mentioned as being the baby's most active. But there was no such activity to speak of.

Samus, however, didn't seem too concerned. "He's probably tired from all this excitement. I know I sure as hell am." she noted before moving into a great stretch of her arms. "You look a little tired yourself, Adam. It might be a tight fit, but you're welcome to sleep in here with me. I have to warn you though, as soon as my head hits the pillow, your son will decide it's time to practice CQC in my belly." she chuckled.

Adam moved to kiss her bulge. "Practice makes perfect, Lady." he smiled. "And I'd love to."


	13. Into The Fold

**Chapter 13: Into the Fold (Day 146)**

* * *

"Wake up, Samus. We're here. Lady..."

She heard his deep voice at the very edge of her consciousness as the blankets of sleep enveloped her. She mumbled something incoherent and fell asleep again, not wanting to wake up; it was the first time in a while that she'd actually gotten to nap without feeling like she had a circus in her belly, her son apparently exhausted as well. The deep voice calmly repeated itself before she barely registered the warm sensation of a strong touch upon her shoulder. More mumbling, more reaching from the edge of glorious sleep. She snuggled against the rough, almost sandpaper like quality of the blanket. How she could stay like this for another hour. But her unborn son, now apparently awake as well, had other things in mind, and sleeping was not one of them; a swift kick came from one side of her belly, rousing her awake.

Samus rubbed the spot where the baby had just kicked and cleared the crust of sleep from her eyes. "All right, all right. I'm awake." she said to it groggily and sat up on the cot to stretch the rest of the sleep from her muscles. She barely remembered what she'd heard in her sleep and questioned Adam about it. "Did you say we arrived on Aether?"

Adam sat next to her. For a moment, memories of their brief time together, in this very room, after the tragic events aboard the Bottle Ship came rushing back to him. And now, things were much, much different. As it stood, Samus was to give birth in a little under four months. Her, mother to his first-born son and he, a father to a son he was already so proud of despite having not even been born yet. Soon, they would also be married by the same life forms that then bounty hunter Samus Aran had saved from the creeping and infinite darkness of Dark Aether.

Yes, things had indeed changed.

"Roger that, Lady. Safe and sound." he smiled. While he had experience piloting spacecraft, even he had to admit that Samus's gunship was out of his realm of expertise and so allowed the precise auto pilot to handle the landing protocol. As was to be expected, the ship's decent into Aether's atmosphere, while a bit rough due to winds in the upper atmosphere, had been more or less without problems and they landed in the very same spot where the GFS Tyr had been forced to make its final stand all those years ago.

"How'd you sleep?" they asked in unison.

"Ladies first." Adam grinned.

"Surprisingly well considering the circumstances." she replied. "How about you?"

Adam wiggled his index finger against Samus's belly and promptly felt a lightning fast nudge against his fingertip. Samus smiled wide. The look on his face was nothing short of priceless. His eyes were bright, his face all smiles and wonder. If this wasn't bonding, Samus wondered, then what was? As touching as this moment was though, she was beginning to think maybe he hadn't heard her, and so she repeated herself, "Did you manage to catch a few winks?"

Adam looked up at her, his reverie broken. "Hm? I'm sorry. Yeah, I was able to sleep a bit. Shall we get going?"

He stood and reached to help Samus to her feet. Samus looked down at herself. She was still wearing the same clothes she'd been wearing when they departed Earth and didn't exactly want to get married to one of the most powerful men in the entire Federation wearing knit capris and a wrinkled blouse with drool spots on the sleeves. "Yes, but after I change. No way in hell I'm getting married to you looking like this."

A couple minutes later, the door to their quarters slid open to reveal his bride-to-be, looking ravishing and dignified in a simple knee-length dress that accentuated her small belly and curves and small high heels, her hair long and loose and framing her face. Her blue-green eyes sparkled. "I'm ready." she smiled.

Adam took her gently by the hand, holding her for a brief moment. "You're beautiful." he said simply and kissed her.

Outside, they were greeted by the Luminoth patriarch, U-Mos and what remained of his species – twenty-eight of them to be exact. The Luminoth bowed gracefully before their savior and cleared the path before them. U-Mos looked at Samus from his bowed position and slowly rose to his feet. "Blessed be this day, for the Savior has returned!" He raised his arms over his head in celebration.

The Luminoth erupted in joyous celebration.

Samus couldn't help but feel a tad embarrassed by all the fuss. "I'm not, really. I was just doing my job."

"The heart of infinite warriors beats within you, Samus. For on that day of evil's bane, my brothers and sisters and I were finally able to rest without fear. We are forever in your debt." U-Mos replied and bowed once more.

"Fortune has smiled upon us this day, for the Savior has chosen to grace us with her presence!" one Luminoth could be heard saying in the distance. More cheering soon followed.

 _ _Any more of this talk of me being a savior__ , she mused, __and I won't be able to get my head through the door.__ She decided to move things in another direction. "Sentinel U-Mos, I have someone I'd like you to meet. He's the reason I'm here." She glanced at Adam. "Adam, this is U-Mos, last Sentinel of the Luminoth." then back to U-Mos. "U-Mos, this is Adam Malkovich, a General in the Federation Army. He's also my life mate." she smiled. __And that's putting it lightly...__

Adam wasn't sure how to approach greeting this strange creature who stood on legs that were as tall as he was. And thin. Adam couldn't believe how thin this creature's arms and legs were. Long and spindly, like a spider. The creature's entire body was a dirty beige color and dotted with strangely shaped red markings. A pair of vestigial wings on the creature's back moved languidly in the still of the day. The Luminoth were so unlike anything he'd ever seen, but he was determined to make the best of the situation and raised a friendly hand. "I'm honored to meet you, Sentinel."

U-Mos placed one of his hands against his chest and bowed his head. "A righteous power bounds you to one another, General Malkovich. Great power flows through you. Your child will inherit your combined strengths and grow to be righteous and true."

Samus felt a bit disconcerted. __Is it really that obvious?__ she asked herself, feeling U-Mos' ethereal gaze bore into her. __Of course it is. To a human, it still might not be completely obvious that I'm pregnant. Not yet, anyway. But the Sentinel isn't a human; I wouldn't be surprised if he's known all along...__

And then she felt like just plain hiding with a sudden announcement from the Luminoth Sentinel. "Rejoice, my brethren! Our Savior is with child!"

* * *

Sometime later, after all the Luminoth fanfare of celebrating their savior's return and an explanation as to why they'd come, Adam and Samus were escorted by the Luminioth Sentinel to the Great Temple. Since the time of Samus's last visit to Aether, U-Mos and what remained of his people had built up an impressive domicile within the Great Temple's main chamber; the various transport lifts connecting the temple to Torvus, Agon and Sanctuary Samus had used during her mission years ago were still functional, but to get around the planet nowadays, the Luminoth used the Light of Aether to move from region to region.

Samus stared out over the temple grounds as the Light of Aether faded slowly from the sky. Aether had been one of the few planets Samus had visited to not have a natural sun. Instead, the Light of Aether acted in its place. The topography was similar to that on Earth, and the pale blue sky with its hazy, filtered sunlight brought back memories of sunny summer days spent training. Aether was still recovering; even now, it had just regained its rotation, and the vegetation was getting used to day-night cycles again, as were the Luminoth.

"You're not embarrassed, are you?" Adam asked once U-Mos had graciously excused himself. 

"No," she said at last, turning back to their quarters. They'd insisted that they would be comfortable aboard Samus's gunship, but U-Mos and his followers insisted on preparing a suite in the temple for them. "If you mean about the baby. The savior stuff… yeah, that gets a little embarrassing. I came here those years back because it was my job. It doesn't feel right to be called a savior."

"Why? You did save them." Adam looked at her quizzically. "Apologies, Lady, I've just never known you to have a moral crisis about a job before."

Samus sighed and absently tugged on a lock of hair, choosing her words carefully. "I feel like a savior saves someone or something because they want to, or need to. I was a bounty hunter, fulfilling a contract. My real mission to this place involved searching for GFMC Task Force Herakles. Saving the Luminoth was… well, just a side effect."

Adam got up off of the sleeping mat the Luminoth had provided for them. The Luminoth themselves hung from great bars in the ceilings, wings folded about their lanky and ethereal bodies. The sleeping mat and silk sheets, spun from cocoons of the native Splinter, were their attempt at hosting humans. He wrapped his arms around Samus from behind. "This is about them, and what they believe," he told her. "Whether it was your intent or not, you did save them; they don't feel the need to question your motives, so you shouldn't either."

Samus nodded and relaxed into his solid body. After a lifetime of uncertainties, the fact that she got to spend forever with him was strangely exhilarating. It made her heart race and for a time they just stood and enjoyed the quiet. It was so different than their life on Earth. Here there was no one to surreptitiously snap their photo or sell their information to a trashy publication or media outlet; here it was just them and twenty-eight Luminoth rejoicing in their happiness.

"I don't want to leave here," she murmured, closing her eyes. "Without the Phazon and without the Ing, it's so peaceful. We could raise the baby among the Luminoth. U-Mos could teach him about the universe. And there's so much here: biology in Torvus bog, technology at the Sanctuary…"

Adam let go of her and moved so he was standing beside her. He was smiling, but didn't seem as convinced as she was. "It is peaceful, I don't disagree."

"Then why not?" she asked. The question sounded desperate, even to her.

"Samus, you were raised among the Chozo," Adam began, and she nodded, uncertain of where he was heading with this. "When you and I began this, and we had our early bumps…"

"That's putting it mildly," she said with an attempted grin.

"You and I both realized that being raised a lone human among an alien race was an impediment to you getting along with other humans."

"But the baby would have us, too," she said. "It would be so peaceful…"

"It would," Adam said. "But Lady, our child will be a human. He can learn about the Luminoth, and I'd imagine even visit and see these places you talk about once he's older. But he needs to be raised among humans."

Samus sighed. "You're right," she said at last. "I guess I'm just feeling sentimental about this whole thing." Samus reached to take hold of Adam's hands. "Well," she smiled, "This is it – any objections, General Malkovich?"

Adam brought his hands from hers, only to bring them to rest against her waist and pull her to him, his face warm and bright despite the fading light. "No objections, Lady. Let's go."

* * *

Inside U-Mos' grand chamber within the Great Temple, the Luminoth Sentinel and his congregation gathered in a generous circle around Adam Malkovich and Samus Aran. At the top of the circle stood U-Mos, his lengthy arms held high above his head. The palms of his hands glowed with a soothing white light. "Let us begin, my brethren!" he announced proudly. Outside, the light continued to grow softer on the horizon as the air within the grand chamber grew expecting with calm anticipation.

The circle of Luminoth bowed before their human guests as U-Mos began a prayer in his guests dialect of Galactic Basic. "O Great Creator of Worlds, please bless these mortal creatures so they will know nothing of hardship or turmoil, in this life or any other, as they begin their journey as one entity on this astral plane of your divine creation. And bless the coming child they are to bear; may he grow to be of strong mind and righteous virtue."

The cadre of Luminoth continued to bow as U-Mos lowered his arms, his hands still glowing with that same ethereal light; he gently touched the top of Samus's head, the tips of his spindly fingers glowing. Samus felt her entire body surge with an otherworldly sensation, indescribable in its essence; her abdomen soon pulsed with vigorous movement as if her son, too, had been blessed by the Luminoth elder. U-Mos repeated the process with Adam. Afterward, they could see something akin to happiness on his face.

"You are now bound for eternity. With devotion to one another, nothing shall be able to break this bind. Nurture it always, for it is more powerful than anything else in this universe." U-Mos raised his arms over his head once more. "May the Light of Aether shine upon you!"

The circle of Luminoth erupted into jubilant cheers as Adam and Samus took a page out of human wedding customs and sealed their union with a lingering kiss. Tiny orbs of light energy, courtesy of the gathered Luminoth, rained down from above in celebration of their joyous union.

The ceremony was finished. The sky was gradually fading from the pastel blues, purples and oranges of twilight to darkness of night. The other Luminoth, having exhausted their blessings of a peaceful and happy journey to the new nuptials, had long since retired to their dwellings for the evening, leaving only U-Mos alone with Adam and Samus inside the chamber. As per Luminoth customs, Adam and Samus underwent a lengthy meditative trance in order to fully purify themselves and their bond before finally receiving their ceremonial Luminoth wedding bands, spun from the silky material of their cocoons and adorned with a fragment of green crystal from the back of the Green Kralee.

Both of them stood, face-to-face, and could merely stare at the simple, yet poignant, symbols of Luminoth culture.

U-Mos placed a hand on his chest, bowing his head slightly. "We now see you both as one of our own; we will embrace you with open and welcoming arms; you are free to come and go as you please, my brethren." he announced.

Samus almost opened her mouth to ask about their baby, but abruptly squelched the thought. __Of course he will be welcome, silly,__ _s_ he thought to herself before turning her transfixed gaze away from the simple band up toward U-Mos. "Thank you, U-Mos. We'll cherish this experience for as long as we are able. I can't begin to express how grateful we are to be accepted into your fold."

Adam was also looking up at the Luminoth Sentinel now. "Yes. And we will make sure that no further conflicts arise on your world, so that you may continue to live a peaceful existence. Of this you have my word."

With that, the ceremony was finally, truly, complete. They were now, officially, partners in life.


	14. Back to School

**Author's Notes: Happy Second Coming of Metroid day, everyone! If you didn't already know, Nintendo announced both Metroid Prime 4 for the Switch, and Metroid: Samus Returns - a remake of the Gameboy classic "Metroid II: Return of Samus" for the 3DS today during E3! Just when I was beginning to lose hope that Nintendo cared anymore about Metroid, they answer the prayers of Metroid fans wwith these two HUGE announcements. I'm ten kinds of happy right now! At any rate, enjoy the Metroid high and the new chapter, everyone. See you next mission! :)**

 **Chapter 14: Back To School (Day 171)**

* * *

Samus had nearly completed her second trimester. She was now twenty-four weeks to term, and the lives of the parents-to-be had quickly grown to be more and more involved with an assorted array of preparations, doctor visits and – for Samus at least – staying out of the Federation's line of sight as much as possible, even though deep down inside, the mercenary was growing tired of the game. After all, she'd concluded during her and Adam's return flight home, she – they – hadn't come this far just to go into hiding just because the Federation might have – or not, Samus still wasn't quite sure – known of their involvement. But Adam was a decorated, well-respected General, and for his sake, Samus decided, she would continue to lay low unless things ultimately came to blows.

As Adam sat reading in the dimness of their bedroom, he felt his heart skip a beat when Samus suddenly screamed herself awake. She sat bolt upright quickly despite her ever-increasing girth, her face, neck and chest drenched in tears and sweat. Adam immediately came to her, noticing she was breathing fast; to Adam it sounded more like she'd just finished running a marathon. Clearly something had frightened her enough to scream herself awake. And he had a pretty good idea of what it could be, given the recent increase in her night terrors; without so much as turning off his tablet book, Adam brought his arms around his wife's shoulders.

"Easy, Samus. Easy. Breathe. Did you have the nightmare again?" he asked while his left hand made small circles around the small of her back.

Her chest continued to heave, rising and falling like a frantic wave. Her heart and stomach felt sick with lingering terror. "The baby." she said, trying to catch her breath. "I h-had...t-the most fr-frightening dream about the baby, A-Adam." she stammered, breathless and on the verge of tears.

"What happened Samus?" he asked.

Samus gulped back her tears, yet her body continued to swim with that sick feeling as she wrapped her muscled arms protectively around her mid-section. "Ridley." she said simply. The connotation in which she said this, however, told Adam she was terrified. Her breath hitched in her chest. "I gave birth to our baby. Only, he wasn't human. He looked just like Ridley. Those wings, that tail, those eyes, everything..."

"He can't hurt you now, Samus. Now or ever again. You killed him, remember?"

Samus continued to struggle with the pain that threatened to consume her. "I killed him on Zebes, yes. But..." her heart pounded in her chest as her body broke out into a new sheen of sweat as she recalled the horrors aboard the Bottle Ship. "The creature we encountered aboard the Bottle Ship wasn't Ridley, but an exact clone of him. And something got to him before I could..."

"What do you mean?"

Samus appeared just a bit calmer now. "...His body looked like it had been drained of all its energy. He was nothing but a brittle husk when I found him in the bioweapon lab; I was on my way to look for the survivor you mentioned. A scientist named Madeline Bergman – I believe you met her briefly after the situation with MB was neutralized. She told me everything. Federation scientists were able to clone Ridley from traces of his DNA found on my suit after my second mission to Zebes. Typical of the Federation, they supposedly had no idea the creature they were cloning was Ridley – they instead raised it as a pet, naming it Little Birdie. I don't have to tell you what I think about that."

"You don't have to say anything, Lady." he replied, encircling her in his arms. "Thank you for telling me all this. But that bastard can't hurt you anymore. It's all right." One of his hands came to rest against the front of her belly. "There's a human baby in here..." he told her with a gentle, yet assertive look on his face. Then one of his eyebrows cocked up as his fingertips picked up activity from beneath. "And a damn active one, too."

She still looked pensive. "Human, yes… but maybe part Chozo, too? I still have no idea what my DNA will produce."

"Maybe that's why he's so active," Adam suggested. He never gave much thought to Samus's Chozo DNA. It was just part of who she was, able to control the superhuman gifts it had given her as if it were just another part of her. She didn't look birdlike, at least. "Maybe whatever it does to you will be the effect it has on him," he said as he felt the insistent movement under his hand.

"Well, I'd prefer his first toy not be a gun," she said wryly. "I'd like to give him something like the childhood I never had. The Chozo weren't exactly keen on that. They raised warriors and devout scholars, scientists. Not children," she said, yawning. "I should try and get back to sleep. We have our first parenting class tomorrow and I'd like to be somewhat aware." She glanced at him, suddenly shy. "Could you… maybe hold me until…"

"I will hold you all night, Lady. If that's what it takes," Adam said, reaching over to flick off the lamp.

He made good on his promise.

And Ridley never again found her in dreams. That night.

* * *

The other six couples were already sitting in a large circle at the center of the room when Samus and Adam arrived, listed under their pseudonyms, Adam and Samantha Bailey. For a moment, they felt like two children running late for their first class as the instructor stopped awkwardly midway through her introduction while they assimilated themselves into the circle. The other couples didn't seem to mind the interruption though, instead offering smiles and pleasant nods while the instructor continued to speak.

 _Remember to stay calm. Act natural. Breathe,_ Samus reminded herself as she leaned back against the pillow between her and Adam. Though she was already skeptical not even ten minutes in to the class, Samus knew it was essential to not only her son, but her growth as a human being.

After introductions, the instructor made the class watch an hour long presentation on the mechanics of pregnancy, stages of labor, and delivery. Essential to her growth or not, Samus couldn't deny finding the presentation a bit boring, and would have probably fallen asleep if it weren't for a couple of the men nearly fainting during the presentation of a live birth. When the film finally finished, and the color returned to everyone's faces, the instructor had the couples move to stations in the back of the room. Each one had diapers, a bottle, a blanket, and...something else... As Adam and Samus approached their station, Samus finally realized what the other strange object was, having remembered seeing a few during her many travels.

But before she could tell Adam, the female instructor spoke to the entire class. "In front of you are some essential baby items. I'd also like you to say hello to your baby!" she beamed.

Samus stared at the small creepy thing below her. It stared back, its eyes vacant of feeling or a soul, it's face mushing into garbled expressions, arms and legs moving. _It's a synthetic. Don't trust those fucking things. Never have, never will,_ she said to herself, wanting to immediately distance herself from the apparatus with the disturbingly realistic face.

"What's wrong, Samus?" Adam mumbled while the other couples were fussing over their practice babies.

Try as she might, Samus couldn't stop looking at the creepy thing, her voice sounding somewhere else. "N-nothing. It's nothing, Adam."

"Just hold it for now," the instructor was saying. The thing blinked again, its mechanical eyelids making the softest of whirring noises. Samus complained and the instructor seemed surprised Samus could hear it, but assured her she'd get used to it. "For the next two weeks, this will be your homework assignment. You will care for him or her as if it were your own child. It's up to you to figure out what it is your baby needs at a certain time..."

"It won't just tell me?" Samus murmured to Adam while the woman continued. She held the baby out at arms' length and it stared at her with its blank, glass eyes. It blinked again and she instinctively shoved it toward Adam. "Here. You hold it."

Adam took the life-like android and dutifully cradled it against his shoulder. "We're supposed to be pretending it's our son," he reminded her, but he was smiling. "Our son won't be born with language skills, and you'll need to hold him more like this." He demonstrated by cradling the baby against his chest.

Samus stifled a giggle watching Adam, her voice still low. "Hey the only other thing I've ever taken care of is a baby Metroid. They feed themselves, don't need diapers, and they float. No strollers or car seats. And I was raised by birds who can't fly. Forgive me if I'm uncertain," she said. She reached for the android baby. "Give it here. I'll give it another try."

But no sooner had she taken it from him that it began to cry, a tinny annoying whine that was worse than any alarm she'd ever heard. She looked at Adam, then toward the instructor, who was watching them both with a dumb smile on her face. She nodded encouragingly and Samus stared back at Adam again. "Shit. What do I do?"

"Start by not cursing in front of our son," he said casually. He moved to unfold the small blanket provided. "And then try swaddling him."

Samus looked at him with utter bemusement on her face as the baby continued to scream at her, its face covered in artificial tears and snot. Then her actual baby started kicking her. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to block it all out, but couldn't, the hairs on the back of her neck nervously standing on end. She would have given anything to be back on Zebes or some other planet. Geemers, Zoomers, Sidehoppers, even Metroids: those were creatures she could neutralize. They had weak points she knew about and could efficiently, and effectively deal with. But this crying synthetic infant with the realistic face, movements and behavior? It was uncharted territory.

And it scared the shit out of her.

She felt her cheeks flame under the scrutiny. "I don't know what to do," she admitted to Adam, frustrated. Her breathing came in hitches and her stomach felt like it was turning in on itself. "I can't make a fucking android stop crying, how am I going to do it with a real kid?"

Adam took the baby from her carefully. "Just breathe, OK? Relax. Let's try process of elimination," he said calmly, and the moment the infant left her hands Samus felt better. A little bit, at least; she was still desperately trying to keep herself together after hearing the baby's alarm-like crying earlier. Hoping to move her focus elsewhere, Samus watched as Adam laid the baby down gently on the blanket.

She half expected him to soothe the infant on the first try; that was just an Adam sort of thing that would happen. Apparently he did too, because after he'd swaddled the fussy child he smiled at her, "There."

The baby ceased its crying.

If only for a moment.

By now all the other couples in the room were watching them.

Adam stared at her, looking lost.

"Process of elimination," she said grimly while crossing her arms. "Right."

Seeing that they were in need of a little support, the instructor approached Samus and Adam's station to offer a suggestion. "Uh-oh! Looks like someone is still fussy! Why don't you try relaxing the wrap just a bit, like this." Her hands unwrapped the blanket just enough so that the doll could freely move its arms.

And the crying stopped.

"There! See, sometimes they tend to fuss if you swaddle them too tight." she explained. "But you'll get better with practice," she added before moving on to help the other couples.

Samus found her tone to be slightly condescending. _Congratulations on making us feel like the dumbest to-be parents in the world, show-off,_ Samus thought to herself, unimpressed by the instructor's keen understanding of infant psychology.

Samus was good at reading people, and right now, something inside of her was telling her something was amiss. And it wasn't just the fact that their "child" was busy burning a hole through them at the moment, it's eyes distant and vacant of life. She looked at Adam, pensive. "Let's go." she suddenly mumbled.

"The class isn't over yet. What's wrong?"

Samus looked at him with a look of discomfort on her face. "I know it isn't over. But I'm not feeling so hot at the moment. I just want to go home and lie down."

That was all Adam needed to hear; he raised his hand to attract the instructor's attention. Once there, he was quick to offer an apology. "I'm sorry, but my wife says she's not feeling well so we're going to be leaving a bit early. Sorry for the inconvenience."

The instructor didn't sound the least bit bothered. "Aw, I'm sorry to hear that, Mr. and Mrs. Bailey. I do hope your wife feels better soon. Please don't forget to take your homework with you when you leave."

Samus clutched at Adam's left hand while he scooped the baby and the items up with his right before she walked with purpose towards the exit door.

Outside the establishment, she stood with her hands supporting her lower back and sighed with relief. "Feels so good to get out of there. My back was starting to hurt with all that standing."

Along with her growing belly grew the discomforts. Adam had been made painfully aware of this once Samus had entered her sixth month. But he knew something else, too. And as he watched her rub and arch her back, he called her out on it. "It's a reason. But not the main reason. Something else is bothering you, Lady. And I think I can guess what it is."

"Be my guest."

"That whole class got on your last nerve, didn't it?"

Samus tried to stifle the grin behind a straight face, but it forced her mouth to curve anyway. "I didn't want to say anything, but yeah. It did. Every bit of it. Especially Miss Baby Whisperer in there, among other things."

Adam chuckled at his wife's colorful description of the instructor then fell silent before taking her hand and starting for their hover car. Though it was only a training apparatus, Adam still insisted on strapping the baby in to the vacant car seat inside. "You never did tell me how you knew what was really bothering me," Samus said from the front passenger seat as she adjusted her safety belt. But she knew better and this made her feel a touch sheepish. Of course he knew what was really bothering her; the pair had been friends for years, going all the way back to Samus's days in the Army and as a result, they had both become exceedingly skilled in being able to read each other. "Nevermind. It was a stupid question."

Adam sat behind the controls, a coy grin on his face. "No, it's all right. I'll tell you. I knew what was really bothering you because...it got on my last nerve, too." he admitted.

Samus felt her mouth agape in shock; it had been his idea to take this class in the first place, saying it would be good for both of them. And now here he was, saying how much it had bothered him too! "What? I'm surprised at you, Adam Malkovich!" she told him with mock shame.

"Don't be, Lady. I'm only human. I thought it would be good for all three of us. But all it did was make me feel inadequate."

Samus was taken aback by Adam's admission. It was the first time she'd heard him contemplate his skills as a father since this journey first started. She attempted to reassure him, just as the many times he had with her. "But you're not, Adam. You handled yourself a hell of a lot better than I did in there. And sure as hell better than the other men in the class, even the ones who thought they knew what they were doing."

The mood in the car quickly turned from jovial to serious as Adam continued to question himself. "I just don't know, Samus," he replied, shaking his head. "I'm worried that I won't be strong enough for you in your time of need."

Samus kissed his fingers again. After having made sure she was being taken care of for so long, Samus could see that it was her husband who now needed the support. Even if it was just a few words of faith and encouragement. "You will be, Adam. There's no one else in this world – this universe – I trust more so than you. I have no doubt about it. And you know what? I'm not expecting you to have all the answers. You're not an Aurora Unit, you're human. I guess the point I'm trying to make is I believe in you, Adam, no matter what."

He looked at her with a slight glint of encouragement in his gray eyes. "Thank you, Lady," he said softly. "I really needed to hear that from you."

With the mood having relaxed just a bit, Samus glanced behind her seat at the thing strapped into their son's car seat. "So does this mean we have to keep this thing?" she asked, looking in the synthetic baby's direction.

"We're not keeping it, Lady. We're just borrowing it. At least until the next class meets, then we'll return it. And hopefully have a better experience with the next one."

Samus looked forward once more, her shoulders slumping just a tad as she sighed with disappointment. "When's the next class?"

Adam engaged the engines. "A week from now." he said simply before putting the car in gear.

Samus nearly felt like screaming.


	15. Meltdown

**Chapter 15: Meltdown (Day 172)  
**

* * *

It was their first night caring for their new "son", even though their real son wouldn't be here for another three months or so. Earlier in the evening they had discussed over dinner what had happened during the class, with Samus revealing that she'd nearly had another flashback upon hearing the baby's cry and that had been the main reason she'd asked Adam to leave the class early. Adam found this to be immensely troubling despite the fact that Samus hadn't had a flare up since her battle with Ridley aboard the Bottle Ship, especially now that she was pregnant. There was no telling what effects a flare up would have on their son.

The effects it had had on her were well documented, Adam having seen them firsthand. During her brief time in the Army, he'd witnessed a number of occasions in which Samus had displayed extreme fear nearly bordering on hysteria, hyper vigilance and severe aggression upon the activation of a trigger. Most of the episodes had been during training simulations involving Space Pirates. He'd witnessed two episodes in particular that were especially troubling, resulting in Samus having to be restrained and sedated. With the safety of not only Samus but his entire unit at stake, Adam immediately put in a request to have her thoroughly examined for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

That exam never came however, as Samus abruptly left the Army after witnessing the death of Adam's brother, Ian Malkovich. There were other reasons, certainly – lack of team spirit, unwillingness to obey orders, to name a few – but she was never quite the same after he died.

Samus had yet to seek treatment ever since.

Samus lay sound asleep next to Adam as he read the last few pages of a book before quickly shutting it off upon hearing the piercing sound of crying in the next room. _Shit_ , he said to himself while trying to ease his way off of their bed so that he wouldn't disturb his wife's much-needed rest. He tip-toed out of the bedroom and into their son's room, closing the door behind him just a bit; it was the first good night's sleep Samus had gotten in a long while, and Adam didn't want to ruin it for her. Heaven only knew how much she needed it right now.

At the crib, Adam bent over it, his bare arms reaching out to scoop the tiny, stiff baby wrapped in the same blanket it had left the class with. He held it against his shoulder, supported its back with his hand, and gently patted it despite having no paternal attachment; it was merely a training device, devoid of feeling or a soul. To Adam it felt silly attempting to hush what was basically a hunk of metal and circuits and treat it as if it were his own flesh and blood but this whole thing had been his idea to begin with, not Samus's and so he considered himself obligated to play along as the instructor had said and treat it as if it were his child.

But it was already too late.

Samus stood in the doorway, breathing fast, with a wild look in her eyes that Adam recognized all too well.

Adam was cautious in approaching her, still trying to get the baby to stop its tinny crying. "Samus, look at me. Samus?" Once he'd gotten her attention, he continued, "It's not Space Pirates, OK? It's just the baby crying. Just relax."

"A-are y-you sure?" she trembled.

Adam held her as best as he could. "You have my word, Lady. Just try to calm down. Just relax."

But Samus, in her paralyzing fear, appeared unconvinced and immediately clung to him despite the annoying sound trying to puncture her ear drums. "They're c-coming back..."

With their practice baby in one hand and the trembling body of his wife in the other, Adam felt as if he would crack despite his many accolades and accomplishments. What was more important to him? His "son" who, for all intents and purposes wasn't even flesh and blood but metal and circuitry, or his wife, who very much felt real and alive and on the brink of collapsing? Adam gritted his teeth over the tinny sound of the baby's cry. It was like nails against a metal sheet, grating against his nerves. And that was saying something.

Finally, it became too much for him to bear and he felt his grip around the tiny body loosen until the android fell to the floor with a thumping sound. With his other arm now free, Adam fully embraced his wife and son. "Lady... I'm right here. Nobody's coming. I promise."

Samus quickly broke away from his embrace, her eyes wild and feral like an animal on the hunt as she suddenly became hyper aware. Her eyes darted in all directions, the room suddenly having become the chaos of the K2-L Space Pirate attack. Samus could almost smell the remains of her friends and family as they burned behind the backdrop of raging fires and mangled structures. "I don't believe you!"

Adam stood his ground and appeared in control, but inside, silent red lights flickered in alarm at what was suddenly happening. He was nothing but a standard human. She had been born a human, but was now the single greatest bio-weapon of the Chozo, able to exert herself beyond standard human limits. And should it come to blows, he wouldn't stand a chance against her.

And the real Samus was in there, somewhere, being tormented by the darkest memories of her past.

Adam raised his hands slowly and spoke to the hunter calmly and clearly. "Samus...Listen to me. Everything is all right. There's nobody here but me and you – no Space Pirates. You destroyed them on Planet Zebes. Just take it easy. Can you do that for me, Lady?"

Samus wasn't convinced and backed herself further into the corner of the room, her eyes continuing to dart and scan for threats. "No! T-they're going to kill everyone!"

Adam kept his distance, yet his voice remained calm and concise. "Easy... Easy. They're not going to kill everyone – you killed _them_. They can't hurt anyone, anymore."

"No! They're gonna kill Mommy and Daddy!" Samus collapsed in the corner of the room and rolled into a ball with her knees held as tight against her chest as much as her belly allowed. "Mama! Papa! Where are you?! I'm scared!" she yelled. "Don't let the monster kill me!"

Adam could only watch the heartbreaking sight with a sickening thud in his heart. This was the side of Samus Aran the public had rarely – if ever – seen, the side the bounty hunter had struggled with everyday since she was a child, struggled to keep buried beneath her impenetrable facade of strength and resolve, raw determination and grit, as she saved the universe from the latest threat to galactic civilization. But despite the hunter's strength, determination and resolve, few people knew her as Adam Malkovich did. As he continued to watch his wife rock herself in the corner, he couldn't help but wonder if the general conscientious about her would change if people knew even half of her the way he knew her. Would they shun her for being weak? Call her a coward for cowering in the ethereal face of a distant nightmare? And what about the Chozo? What would they think of their perfect weapon? They'd modified her early in childhood to be the ultimate bio-weapon, at the cost of everything that made her human. But she was merely a prototype, and like any prototype, she was bound to have faults. What would they think of her now?

Frankly, Adam didn't care. Though Samus very much considered herself the last of the Chozo, the jury was still out on them as far as he was concerned.

Suddenly, Samus pounced to her feet, looking as wild and dangerous as Adam had ever seen her, and lunged for the baby on the floor with a fierce cry, clutching it before Adam even had a chance to react, and crush its head between her hands, its unnatural mechanical crying soon turning into a downed out moan before finally ebbing off into the silence. "Leave them alone!" she yelled before moving to crush the mechanical body beneath her foot.

"Samus!"

Samus froze, her foot mere inches away from the headless body.

Adam used the opportunity to quickly approach the distressed hunter and hold her by her muscled arms. And when she didn't struggle to free herself, Adam became cautiously optimistic. They stood together for a long while in the silence. And when he finally felt her stir against him, he allowed himself to relax just a bit, hoping the worst had passed. "Samus?"

She looked at him with a tired look in her eyes, her face and neck sweaty. "Adam. I..I almost...didn't I?" she asked while trying to catch her breath.

Adam sighed and briefly averted his gaze before looking upon his wife once more. "Yes, Lady. You almost lost yourself. And I can't help but feel entirely responsible for it."

Samus brought her trembling arms under Adam's arms, pushing his body against hers. "...You're not the monster, Adam. I am..." She gazed down at the small mechanical body, its head having been crushed into pieces by her own hands, and tried in vain to keep the tears at bay. "I killed our baby."

Adam held her tighter, his hand coming to stroke her sweaty blond hair. "That's not our baby," he began tenderly before moving both of his hands to grasp Samus's belly and gazing deeply into her bloodshot eyes, "Our baby is right here. And I know you would never do such a thing to our son. That's not who you are, Samus."

Samus moved her hands to join Adam's. "...Adam, I..."

Adam gently hushed her as she broke out into more quiet sobbing. "It's going to be all right, Lady. Everything is going to be all right... Let's get you back to bed."

Adam moved to cradle Samus in his arms where she fell into a much welcomed slumber. Once back in their bedroom, he set her down gently on the bed and draped a light bed sheet over her before having a seat in his reading chair next to the window, where he would begin his night watch to make sure she slept soundly through the night.

* * *

Later that same morning, Adam awoke, still in the same chair he'd settled into earlier that morning, relieved to see Samus sound asleep in a relaxed fetal position with a pillow between her legs. He smiled, relieved to see Samus had managed to sleep through the rest of the night, and carefully rose to his feet with the hope that he wouldn't disturb her.

Adam went about his morning routine with the utmost silence as much as he could; when shaving, he'd made sure to quietly close the adjoining door to their bedroom; when changing into his clothes, he was extra careful in sliding the closet door open and closed; he drank his coffee and read the daily news pad in silence; he even made sure not to make any great strides through the main room as he headed for the comms unit where he would hopefully be able to explain the circumstances surrounding his failure to appear at work today. As he waited, the General could only wonder with some perturbation about Samus and the day ahead of her. He had a pretty good understanding of Samus in the years he'd known her, and it usually took her a great deal of time to recover after a PTSD flare up. Special care had to be taken in making sure she didn't regress into another episode. And he was determined to make sure that didn't happen today.

After a brief conversation with the academy's Academics Director, Adam turned off the comms unit, wondering if he'd done right by staying home from work in order to be there for Samus when she woke up. _Of course I have_ , he told himself as he sat at the dinner table. _I know what it's like to be human, and she's still learning, all while carrying our child and dealing with the day-to-day discomforts that brings._ Adam stood then, his legs quietly transporting him through the main room and down the hall into their bedroom. He looked at Samus' still body from the doorway and gently smiled, seeing that she had more or less helped herself to the entire width of the bed. _Besides_ , he said to himself, still drinking her in, _The Federation has had their time with me. Now it's time I give mine to her._

He approached the side of the bed slowly and cautiously. Once there at her bedside, he knelt and gently stroked her disheveled blond hair until noticing her eyes flinch. "Lady...?" he whispered as her body began to stir. He continued to stroke her hair until her eyes finally opened, groggy and crusted over with sleep. "It's me, Samus."

Samus slowly turned her head to look in Adam's direction. "...Adam. I...had an flare up last night, didn't I?" she asked dryly.

Adam looked upon her with remorse. "Yes, I'm afraid so. Do you remember what happened?"

Samus attempted to sit up under her own power but her still growing abdomen was hindering her attempt. Adam helped her slowly into an upright position. "Thanks. I'm sorry you had to see that. And...I'd rather not discuss it."

Adam joined her on their bed. "It happens, Lady." He moved to rest his palm on her bulge. "I'm just relieved it wasn't as bad as it could have been. I thought I'd lost you." The General moved to bring Samus into an embrace. He felt a gentle popping against his palm. "Both of you." he added quickly.

Samus peeled herself away from him, a serious look on her face. "...I think I'm in trouble, Adam."

Regretfully, Adam knew his wife to be right. He remembered the night before and how Samus had crushed the head of their "child" with her bare hands, how she'd done it with disturbing ease in spite of the materials. A pang of dread soon filled him at the thought of a similar incident involving his real child, the though of which chilled him to the pit of his soul. Though he knew she wouldn't do so much as touch her child out of anger under normal circumstances, she was far more unpredictable and dangerous during a flare up. And that was what Adam was most afraid of.

Adam hoped what he had to say didn't offend her. He gently took hold of his hand and met her gaze. "Samus, as your husband, I worry about you," he began , "the incident earlier, and the nightmares, plus everything you've been through...it's a lot to process. And I'm afraid I can only do so much. You..." Adam felt himself sigh, "you need help, Lady – more than I'm qualified to give."

After last night, Samus had finally started to come to grips with the fact that she, unbreakable warrior of the cosmos and the greatest weapon of the extinct Chozo, had issues of her own to neutralize instead of having to take care of the latest galactic threat. That, beneath the armor was a woman at odds with herself and her past, everyday a struggle to come to terms with it. Samus looked at Adam in all seriousness. "You're right, I know. It wouldn't be fair to our son to have to grow up fearing his mother. He deserves to have a strong mother and a strong father – anything less than that is unacceptable. I'm going to be strong for my son...and it starts with me learning how to cope with my own problems and not the problems of the galaxy for once."

Adam smiled softly. "I'm proud of you, Samus. It may only be the first step, but it's a big one. It takes courage to face fear, and if there's anyone who has it in spades, it's you, Lady."

It wouldn't be easy by any means, and would probably take cycles, but he promised himself and the vows they'd committed to one another on Aether that he would be there for her, for their son, and they would see this through.

Together.


	16. One in the Same

**Chapter 16: One in The Same (Day 186)**

* * *

Ever since Dr. Barton had made the suggestion that Samus look into obtaining a Service Dog, and reading both the documentation he'd included and whatever else she could regarding them – and dogs in general - Samus had been discussing with Adam the idea of adding a four-legged companion to their budding family. Adam wasn't necessarily against the idea. Far from it. He was actually very open to the idea of Samus having a companion to help her when he was unable to be there for her. But he was self-proclaimed neat freak, no doubt thanks in part to his years of military service, where every inch of who you were and what you wore was scrutinized down to every last detail. So the thought of having something around that constantly shed, slobbered and made a mess on the carpet made him feel a bit uneasy. But babies were equally capable of making messes, and he hadn't demanded Samus abort their child. Babies, however, eventually grew to outgrow that phase. Dogs did not.

When it came down to it, however, if he had to make a choice between having a neat house or seeing Samus begin to heal, he would choose Samus every time. And if she benefited from having a dog around to help and comfort her, he really didn't care how much the animal shed.

But taking care of a dog, it seemed, wasn't as hard as actually getting one. Samus had filled out several applications from several high profile, non-profit service dog organizations since her visit to her psychiatrist. And not a single one had been approved. Rather than be surprised and disgruntled by the decision, Samus respected each organizations decision, knowing the reason why she'd been declined each time: Her profession wasn't exactly known for its outstanding citizens. When people heard the words "bounty hunter" or "mercenary," they immediately assumed the person was an ex-con, a criminal, or some other no-good delinquent with no morals. In her own experience, Samus noticed people definitely kept their distance from her, having noticed that same hard look in her eyes that was typical among her kind.

The way she looked, even while pregnant, didn't help matters any, either. She was tall and muscular. Hard-looking, her eyes throwing daggers everywhere they looked. Underneath her clothing was a body covered in battle scars. She didn't look or act like a typical human woman. When she entered a room, things tended to get quiet and tense, her intimidation hovering about the room like a shroud.

And she was perfectly fine with it. Hell, at least it kept strangers from walking up to her at random and boldly asking if they could touch her stomach.

After having had all but one application turned down, Samus had pretty much given up on trying to acquire a service dog. With Adam at work, Samus currently lay on the sectional browsing through her messages while the raucous cheering of a sporting event on the holo-vision blared in the background. When she noticed a message from the last organization she had yet to hear back from, Samus tapped the message and began to read it without much interest for the outcome. She already knew it was nothing more than a polite way of telling her they didn't trust her with one of their animals due to her "shady" career.

 _So much for that idea. I guess I really can't blame them though. We're not exactly pillars for the community to look up to..._ , Samus said to herself while deleting the last of her new messages. _Kind of makes me wonder why I bother risking my ass to save the universe when the only thing it's going to get me is contempt. I can't help it if this is my fate,_ she added somewhat bitterly while attempting to sit up. Once she was upright, Samus held the front of her mid-section where her son had just kicked and gave him a gentle pat in the hope that it would soothe him long enough for her to get to her feet. Even something so simple as getting off the couch seemed to be a chore for Samus now that she'd entered her final trimester. And with still having a bit of growing left to do, it was all Samus could do to not think about what other simple tasks would suddenly become great ordeals for her next month.

Moments later, she was back in the main room simply pacing back and forth between the end points of the sectional sofa, her back arched and digits massaging its lower muscles. She breathed, full and deep from her diaphragm, hoping the combination of the two would help to loosen her achy muscles and at least relieve one of her many discomforts. _But there's more where that came from_ , she said to herself, knowing the list was many thanks to her ever-changing state.

The sudden sloshing sensation in her womb forced Samus to hold her stomach and briefly wince at the sharp sensation she was currently feeling against her lower rib cage. To her discomfort and annoyance, her son had recently picked up the rather painful activity of using her ribs as a punching bag. His activity in general seemed to have increased now that Samus was in her last trimester, and when he decided to get going, everyone, especially Samus, knew about it.

As Samus continued to pace back and forth hoping the motion would be enough to calm her restless child, an idea suddenly came to her, one she wasn't quite sure how Adam would react to given that this was his place. But he'd been supportive of the idea originally so she figured there would be no harm in checking into it herself. With a grin, Samus made her way into their bedroom to change.

An hour later, she found herself walking down a long corridor smelling of sanitation, the quiet punctuated by sounds of barking and yelping. Kennels stretched down the length of the hall. Some were vacant, but many of them, to her heartache, were occupied with dogs that looked rejected and desperate for someone to adopt them. Samus wished she could adopt all of them. She'd been an animal lover ever since she was a young child and seemed to have a way with them. As she continued down the hall, she fondly recalled her first pet, a rabbit-looking creature she'd named "Pyonchi" who had accompanied her to Zebes. Unfortunately, she'd been forced to part with the Rabbilis the day she left the planet many years later. With her nomad lifestyle and career, she was never able to have a pet of her own. But now that she had the time, income, and recently been diagnosed with a legitimate medical condition whose effects were found to be helped by a pet, Samus decided it was time for a dog of her own.

Samus continued down the long corridor taking inventory of the dogs, but none of them had managed to establish a connection with her. Until, at the very end of the hall, she discovered a large, wolfish-looking dog laying in the corner of its kennel, its large head resting on his front paws. He looked like he hadn't had a good bath in ages and had several scars on his head, snout and parts of his body. In what she could only call eerie, Samus seen herself in the dog before her. Rejected, battle scarred, but nonetheless alive despite the odds.

Sensing her, the dog perked his ears up and met Samus's gaze. The two looked at each other for what seemed like forever, both attempting to read the intentions of the other. "I won't hurt you." whispered the hunter. Samus kept her eyes trained on the dog while she slowly brushed her fingers along the kennel door. The dog was hesitant at first, but eventually approached the kennel door, only to sniff and lick Samus's fingers.

Samus felt herself smile at the dog's gesture and allowed him to lick her for as long as he wanted. When he was comfortable with her, Samus moved to scratch his neck, which he seemed to enjoy. Samus figured it was probably the first loving touch he'd had in a while. After giving him a good scratch behind his pointy ears, Samus gestured at the worker at the other end of the hall, believing she had just found her new friend.

"Yes, ma'am, may I help you?" asked the woman.

Samus continued to look at the dog through her periphery. "What's the story with this one?"

The other woman gave the dog a quick glance Samus seen as rather nervous. "Oh...he's one of our regulars. Been in and out of here for a while."

It wasn't the answer Samus was looking for, but in a roundabout sort of way, it told her far more than she thought. It was a nice way of saying the dog was damaged goods and more likely to be euthanized than adopted any time soon. "What's wrong with him?"

"He has a tendency to be aggressive and reserved with strangers, both human and canine. He has some trust issues and is quite independent, but I think he has the potential to be quite the watch dog with the right training and understanding." the woman explained before noticing Samus's precious cargo. "Oh, but I wouldn't adopt him if I were you. We have yet to see how he behaves around young children. He's definitely more suited for a house with no children, or at least older children. Have you had experience with difficult dogs, ma'am?"

Samus could immediately see where the woman was going with this yet tried to keep her irritation hidden. "No, I haven't."

"Then I'm afraid adopting this dog would be a mistake, Miss...?"

"Just call me Sam." Samus clarified before her brow furrowed slightly in offense. "And just what is that supposed to mean?"

As they continued to talk, Samus could feel the dog's rough tongue against her fingers again. "I didn't mean to offend you, Sam. It's just that we want the dogs to find appropriate homes."

 _Bullshit. I had less than the ideal home, and I turned out OK...more or less...,_ Samus thought to herself. It was a lie if she'd ever heard one. _OK, so maybe I'm fucked up beyond recognition, but I'm not hopeless..._ , she added quickly before addressing the woman. "I understand. But I don't agree. I'd rather take the chance and give him at least a little bit of compassion than miss out on the opportunity and leave him here to rot." Samus glared at the woman in such a way that told her the hunter wouldn't be leaving here without the dog, no questions asked. "That said, I'll take him."

* * *

Some thirty minutes later, having filled out the paperwork and paid the adoption fees, Samus wrapped the sturdy leather leash around her hand and prepared to make her way out of the shelter with her new companion. As she began towards the doors, a suddenly whistling could be heard, detectable by the dog and handler alone, and the dog instantly began walking alongside his new owner as if he'd been leash trained for years, much to the surprise of the shelter staff, who had said he'd been nearly impossible to leash train. It was the first, and last, time the staff ever got to see the often unruly, wolfish dog walk on a leash.

After a quick stop, Samus returned home with her new companion and set up his food and water dish. Instead of using the ones the shelter had provided, however, Samus opted to use a rather ingenious automatic feeder she'd picked up on the way home instead. "The Auto-Noms Pet Feeding Station," she mused aloud while looking over the directions. She was a sucker for all things mechanical, and while this was no Power Suit in design, she couldn't help but feel a tad giddy as she read over the manual and the gadget's many features. It held approximately a month's worth of dry food and water and came equipped with a timer one could program to dispense food at certain times of the day, as well as self-cleaning functionality. She had it set up within minutes, the task of which was nothing compared to what she was used to working with.

Next to her like a shadow, the dog looked up at her, his head cocked to the side in confusion.

Samus scratched him behind his ears. "Go ahead, it won't bite."

The dog just looked at the strange contraption before Samus heard a low growl and seen the dog's ears go back.

"OK, maybe we are moving a little fast here," she told the dog while reaching into the large bag of dog food to grab a handful of the dry kibble. "How about we try going a little slower. Here." Samus held one of the pellets between her index finger and thumb in front of the dog's face. He sniffed a minute before gently taking the morsel from her fingers. Samus repeated the process again and again until all of the pellets were gone. "All gone," she smiled. "And thank you for not biting my fingers off."

The dog followed close behind Samus as she walked from the kitchen to the living room to have a seat and read over the adoption paperwork. The dog was a mutt, believed to be German Shepherd and something else. Judging by the way he looked, she suspected the "something else" may very well could have been a wolf. He'd been in and out of the shelter for approximately a year and, undisclosed to Samus until now, was planning to be euthanized mere days from now. The dog also didn't have a name. "It's like you didn't even exist," Samus mused out loud as the dog sat with her. She looked over at him long and hard, trying to come up with a name for him. "Since we can't be calling you Reject all the time... What would be a good name for you?"

 _Just like naming a baby_ , Samus said to herself, knowing she and Adam still had to come up with a name for their son. The dog just continued to look at her intently as she continued to think of a name. She never had been very good at naming things. She suspected she would have a hard time coming up with a name for her son as well and so was hopeful Adam would prove to be better at it than her. "That's it. Adam can help pick a name for you. How do you feel about that...Wolfie?" Samus blurted out before chuckling at the dog's reaction of covering his eyes with his front paws. "Don't worry, it's only temporary." she smiled.

When Adam came through the front door later that evening, he was startled at the sight of Samus sitting on the couch, reading, with a very angry looking dog in front of her; the dog had sensed the strange presence and was immediately off the couch with his ears back, hackles raised and voicing an audible growl, ready to protect his new master. "Samus. Why is there a wolf in the house?" Adam asked sternly. He hadn't even bothered to take off his formal hat yet.

"That's Wolfie," the hunter replied nonchalantly while continuing to read, "he's mine. Don't worry, he's all right. Just try not to make any sudden movements."

Adam finally had the sense to remove his hat, but he couldn't help but to find his wife's carefree attitude a bit unsettling. He tried to remain calm despite his irritation. "He's yours, OK. And would you mind telling me where you found him?"

"At the shelter. I figured since you were open to the original idea of me having a pet around, it wouldn't hurt to check into it myself. I didn't expect to find anything, but I guess I was wrong. Wolfie and I clicked right away."

Adam nodded as his eyebrows furrowed together in mild anger. "All right... Now would you mind calling him off before he bites my head off, please?"

Samus put her book down and gave a brisk snap of her fingers. The dog rejoined her on the couch.

"Thank you," Adam said before approaching his wife and the dog. And when he joined them on the couch, he was relieved to find the dog had remained calm despite his presence. "Now, Lady," Adam started calmly, "While I was open to the idea of you having a dog, I'd meant a service dog, something that was specifically trained to help you, to warn you of an coming attack, something that would be able to accompany you anywhere you went. What happened to all those applications you submitted?"

Samus turned off the book she'd been reading and placed it on the coffee table. "All turned down, including the last one. I received a message about it earlier. But I'm not surprised, and you shouldn't be, either. My profession isn't exactly full of outstanding citizens. Myself included."

"But I thought you were planning on using your pseudonym?"

Samus took a moment to gather her thoughts, the room having grown quiet, save for the sound of the dog gently panting. "I was, but then I realized something..."

Adam became intrigued. "Oh?"

"Yeah. It's time for me to stop running. How am I ever supposed to recover if I keep running from who I am and all that's brought me here? I'm still your wife, Adam, but I can no longer be someone I'm not. I'm Samus Aran... Samus Aran-Malkovich," she smiled warmly. "And if the Federation has a problem with you being involved with me, well, they can send it to the Guild's complaint department – wouldn't be the first time. The only reason I'm still an S-Class is because I'm thorough and get results."

Adam now understood why all the applications had been turned down. She'd used her real name, and when people heard it, they immediately knew what it meant and what it stood for. Death, destruction, relentless pursuit... A bit unjust in their assumptions, of course, but the name nevertheless had a tendency to strike terror across the universe.

"I guess this means we'll have some explaining to do, then."

Samus nodded even though it was understatement if she ever heard one. "Lots. But I'll handle it. It's my mess."

Adam took her hand into his. "No, it's not. Besides, we're in this together, Lady."

Samus gazed down at the large dog lying next to her, "Thanks. And I know this isn't what you had in mind, but that doesn't mean he can't help me. It may sound strange to you, Adam but... I see myself in this dog. And he deserves to be given a chance."

Adam took note of the various scars on the dog's head and body, knowing what she'd meant by that. Battle scarred, damaged, but a true survivor. Just like her. "...Well, when you put it that way, I guess I really can't say no. And if he helps you begin to heal, then that's all I care about. Who knows, maybe he and I will strike a chord as well."

Adam took one of his white gloves off and placed his hand in front of the dog's snout. To his surprise, the dog merely sniffed at it for a good while before licking his fingers. "How about that." he mused with a slight grin. "He likes me."

"See? All he needed was a chance." Samus replied while patting the dog's head.

Just like her.


	17. From Now On

**Chapter 17: From Now On (Day 193 )**

* * *

Adam had yet to return to his academic duties even as this cycle's "Hell Week," an annual academy tradition in which fresh-faced Fourth-Class Cadets spent the next week assimilating themselves into military life, was in full swing. Samus, who was now some twenty-eight weeks pregnant, was going through a rather difficult time at the moment dealing with flashbacks and night terrors on an almost constant basis, thanks in part to her ever-changing hormone levels and increasing anxiety over the remainder of the pregnancy and subsequent birth of her child.

Some nights, she would merely cry and ramble aimlessly about having not been strong enough to save her mother and father from certain death or beg the Chozo apparitions in her mind to stop. Other nights, Adam would be awakened by Striker's incessant barking and discover Samus shrunk in the corner of the room, bathed in sweat while she rocked herself. Most of the time, Adam was able to reach out and comfort her. Other times, he wasn't so successful. In times such as these, he was grateful for the wolf-dog and his uncanny ability to bring comfort to Samus when she needed it most, when Adam himself was unable to reach her; they would snuggle alone on the bed, sometimes for hours at a time, while Samus recovered from her latest flare up. And when it was all over, her mental wounds having scarred over for the umpteenth time, Adam made sure to show his appreciation to Striker with a treat or belly rub each and every time, never having been so thankful for him.

Never was that more true than right now as he gently slid the door to their bedroom open and gazed upon his sleeping wife, her arms wrapped around Striker's agouti-colored body. The dog didn't seem to mind his master's vice-like hold and was simply looking upon his Person with a watchful look in his deep brown eyes, ready to bark if he so much as sensed the slightest shift in her inner workings. Adam stood at one corner of the big bed as Striker silently acknowledged his presence before resting his large head on his front paws.

Adam moved carefully to rub the dog behind his ears. "Good boy. Thank you for keeping watch over Samus." he whispered.

Striker looked up at Adam despite having not lifted his head up. His eyes seemed to be saying " _You're welcome"_ before turning their attention to his paws again.

Adam sat with the dog in the dim silence of the bedroom as Samus continued to sleep and recover from her latest night terror. One he hadn't been able to save her from. These ones were often the most disconcerting due to how unpredictable they were. She'd screamed herself awake in the middle of the night, drenched in sweat and hyperventilating, after having dreamt she had given birth to a horribly mutated child heavily resembling her arch-nemesis, Ridley, and went on to drive herself into full-blown hysteria by describing the "child" down to every last disturbing detail despite Adam's calm insistence that she stop and breathe.

At one point, with her mind clearly somewhere far off in the distant past, Samus involuntarily lashed out and attacked Adam as he attempted to calm her, believing him to be the malevolent space dragon. As a result, he now wore a bruise directly underneath his left eye and had suffered what he thought to be a broken nose. But he didn't blame Samus. It wasn't her fault. None of this had been her fault, though she would likely be very angry with herself once she woke up and saw his face.

Striker had fallen asleep in the time Adam recalled the morning's earlier events, though the General suspected the dog's keen sense of awareness was still very much in tune to the energy of his master and ready to alert him should anything feel off. Adam himself was tired, but with his mind continuing to race over the well-being of his wife and child, he knew sleep would have a hard time reaching him... Giving Striker a gentle pat on the head, Adam stood and walked to the other side of the bed where his wife lay cuddled against the wolfish, dirty-brown dog.

Adam carefully ran his fingers through the bounty hunter's long blond hair, still caked in sweat from the night before, and merely watched her for any signs she was having another potential nightmare in her sleep. A sudden increase in her breathing, trembling, rapid eye movement, they were usually very good indications that something was amiss. To his relief, however, he found none of the tell tale signs at the moment. She was completely still and breathing normally.

"I'll be right back, Lady." he said softly before standing upright and heading for the door.

Adam made his way into the kitchen to brew a fresh pot of coffee. He'd been drinking it to stay awake ever since Samus had her nightmare in the wee hours of the morning. While the coffee brewed, he went into the hallway guest bathroom to check on his injuries. The bruising underneath his eye had turned to a deeper shade of reddish-purple, the bridge of his nose had been knocked slightly off center, but was able to be easily corrected. In the grand scheme of things, Adam considered himself very lucky a bruise and a fractured nose had been the extent of his injuries after having been hit by Samus, knowing it could have been much, much worse had she been in peak physical form.

After coming from the bathroom, having heard the coffee maker go off and pouring himself a cup of the potent black brew, Adam made his way back to their bedroom, relieved to find Samus still sleeping soundly. Adam set the mug down on the end table and simply examined Samus from afar, his mind drifting back to the root cause of her persistent nightmares.

 _Ridley,_ he said to himself, eyebrows briefly furrowing in anger at the name before ebbing. _No, not Ridley...Ridley is dead,_ he reminded himself before feeling his temper spark once more. Suddenly, Adam found himself up and pacing around the bedroom, never having felt such seething anger in his entire life. It was the fault of the Galactic Federation, the governing body he'd served for for nearly twenty years, the same government whom Samus Aran had risked her life for time and time again, that his wife was again suffering – she had finally killed Ridley for good during her final mission to Zebes...until a certain faction within the Federation decided the beast would be a worthy addition to their bioweapons program and brought him back to life from DNA they'd collected from Aran's power suit as she lay in a coma aboard the GFS Olympus recovering from her battle against Mother Brain; Adam, still to this day, didn't believe the ruse that they were completely unaware that the creature they'd cloned had been Ridley. They knew _exactly_ what they were doing when they procured those cells, and they were foolish enough to think that such a vile, hostile creature like Ridley could ever possibly be controlled. It was the Federation's fault that he'd been forced to watch his men die within the metal corridors of that cursed vessel, never again able to be with their friends and family... And no amount of coffee was going to wash out the bitter taste of betrayal suddenly in his mouth.

Now back in the living room, lest his heavy pacing wake his wife, Adam was suddenly struck by something he now found to be rather odd about the last moments aboard the Bottle Ship.

 _Colonel Richards...He seemed rather surprised to see both of us in one piece that day, as if he was expecting an entirely different outcome,_ Adam mused to himself, the hairs on the back of his neck prickling with sudden unease. He remembered the tension between himself, Samus, and the Colonel immediately after MB was neutralized, and the cold, thoughtless look the older man had given Samus as she stood bleeding against the General's form on the brink of collapse, far more concerned about silencing Dr. Bergman than anything regarding the well-being of the heavily injured "dog" at Adam's side.

The recollection only served in fueling Adam's quiet anger, but rather than continue to feed it and allow it to fester inside, the General quietly shifted his focus to something far more constructive, picking up the daily edition of the Federation Tribune from the coffee table in the hopes that it would take his mind off of things, before heading back into their bedroom to check on Samus.

With Chairman Keaton's term set to expire a few months from now, it was all over the electronic pages of the news. But Adam was far more concerned with the other big story making headlines, one that affected him from a professional standpoint. The military had renewed its contract with the Titan Corporation, a research and space development company, for the foreseeable future and was already in the planning stages for its next research and development colony code named "Eos" with completion tentatively planned for sometime within the next five cycles.

As he recalled, The Bottle Ship had been manufactured by Titan and originally used as a residential colony, but was later decommissioned after three deca-cycles worth of service. The ship was later acquired by the Federation and rebuilt into what would eventually become the doomed research vessel.

Adam felt his jaw clench tight as he remembered the horrors his men had discovered aboard the illegal research vessel. Creatures turned against their will into the the Federation's next big bioweapon and Federation officials hiding behind the ruse that such measures were needed if the Galactic Federation were to remain safe and the beacon of hope to the universe. Adam didn't believe it for a second. Nothing within the Federation was ever as it seemed.

Adam turned the data pad off in disgust, knowing it wouldn't be long before another Bottle Ship Incident broke out aboard the "Eos" vessel. With the Federation being forever blind in their ambitions, he knew it was only a matter of time before things quickly spun out of their control once again. Rather than dwell on the inevitable however, Adam finally gave in to his exhaustion and fell asleep in his chair.

* * *

Samus awoke later that morning, her head feeling as if it were somewhere else and shrouded in a heavy, almost sickening, fog. Striker lay alert next to her, having been patiently waiting for her to awaken. For how long, however, Samus wasn't quite sure. All she knew was the sight of the dog's large wolfish head, the way he looked so happy and relieved to see her awake, brought a much-welcomed smile to her face. Striker's wide, triangular ears perked up before he moved to lick Samus's hand. "I missed you too," she said groggily while scratching his furry belly. Samus watched him in silence as he carefully sniffed her mid-section. "He missed you too, boy." she smiled before noticing Adam awkwardly asleep in the chair next to the window in the corner, the coffee in his blue mug having gone cold hours ago.

Upon closer inspection of him, Samus was alarmed to find his face bruised. "Adam? Adam, wake up." she said while gently rousing him with her hand against his shoulder. Nothing. She tried again, a little more forceful this time. "Wake up, Adam!"

Adam came from his sleep moments later and sat bolt upright. "Samus? What is it? What's wrong?" he asked urgently before standing. "Is the baby coming already?"

Samus shook her head. "No, don't worry. I should be the one asking you what's wrong – what happened to your face? Did I...?" she asked, suddenly looking remorseful as if somewhere deep within the recesses of her mind, she'd known that the bruise on Adam's face had been her fault all along.

Adam regarded her with regret. "...Yes, Lady. Last night during your episode. But it's not your fault, so don't go blaming yourself. Your mind...was just in another place and time."

It was little comfort to Samus, however, as she suddenly appeared visibly angry at herself for causing her husband harm. "That's not an excuse, Adam. It never should have happened. How the fuck am I supposed to be trusted with caring for and protecting a child like this?"

Adam held her by her shoulders, his cool gray eyes never once drifting from hers. "Don't do this, Lady. It wasn't your fault, understand? You've only begun down the path to recovery; it's a process. One that doesn't happen overnight. Things will get better. It will just take time."

"It still never should have happened, Adam." Samus insisted before lacing the fingers of her left hand into his. "I'm sorry I hurt you. It'll never happen again."

Adam gave their joined hands a gentle squeeze. "So you say it will never happen again. The truth is we don't know for certain. The important thing to remember is to never lose sight of yourself should something like this happen again. I know it's not who you really are, and I know you know this isn't who you really are. You're not a bad person, Samus. You would never willingly cause harm to those most important to you. Never forget this, OK?"

They shared another tender moment before coming from each other. Adam's hands found their way around the mercenary's swollen abdomen, hoping to feel their son.

"He's probably still trying to figure out what the hell happened last night. Poor thing." remarked the mercenary. "Or why his mother is such a loose cannon."

Adam had yet to feel a single jab, kick or flip. "I'm sure he's probably just sleeping." His look turned serious then. "And you know how I feel about you referring to yourself that way, Lady."

Samus felt her heart swell with sudden concern. "A-Adam... You don't think...?" she stammered.

Adam promptly interjected, hoping to cut that thought off before it had a chance to ferment in both of their minds. "No, Samus. I don't. I suggest you do the same." he replied firmly.

Samus drew a few deep breaths hoping to still her racing, intrusive thoughts. "OK... Yeah, you're right. I'm sure everything is fine..."

But Adam wasn't convinced, having noticed the tell tale look in her eyes, and promptly issued calm instruction, "Samus, I want you to look at me. Just breathe, okay?"

Samus did so for the next several minutes until she finally felt in control of herself once more. Yet her body and mind still felt disoriented and sluggish, which was often the case after a flare up no matter how intense. "I think I'm just going to take a nice long, hot bath. Maybe that will help."

Adam simply nodded as he watched her make her way into their bathroom and seal the door behind her.

He made his way back to the main room and into the kitchen to make another fresh pot of coffee; the old one had grown cold and stale hours ago, and it wouldn't do to start his day off with what was basically ugly brown water. After cleaning the pot and prepping a fresh one, he fixed himself and Samus something to eat.

* * *

Samus sat with her eyes closed while soaking in a nice warm bath, simply enjoying the relaxing sensation of the water, the tranquil silence, and the strong movements of her son. Feeling him squirm, jab or kick always filled her with reassurances that he was healthy and safe within her. As she submerged her entire body beneath the water, Samus drifted back briefly to the day she'd found out she was expecting, and the way she'd been so angry and scared she could do nothing but fly into a rage and destroy the living room... "You deserve a stable mother, not a bioweapon with a hair trigger...," she said to her child, hoping he could hear her voice. "You deserve the comfort of knowing you'll always be safe in my presence, no matter what... And from now on, no matter how difficult it becomes, I'm going to do everything in my power to fight the demons of my past and keep you and your father safe. I promise."

Some time later, just as Adam was coming from the kitchen holding two plates of breakfast fare, Samus came down the hall dressed in a simple pair of faded jeans (complete with an elastic waist band) and a dark, heather gray tank top with a towel around her neck and Striker following close behind her like a second shadow, looking far better than she'd looked when she'd first woke up.

Adam placed the warm plates on the table before coming to embrace his wife.

"Lady. How are you feeling?" he asked. "You look better."

Samus sighed with relief as a small smile curved her mouth. "The bath worked like a charm. I don't feel like I just ran suitless through Norfair and back anymore, at least." Her smile soon faded though, knowing the day after a particularly nasty flashback was always the hardest. "But...I could still-"

Adam ran his fingers through her damp, long blond hair. "I know. And I'll be there should that happen, Samus. But try not to focus too much on it. Remember what Dr. Barton said, this is a process and setbacks will happen, so don't let them get you down, understand?"

Samus placed a kiss on his rugged cheek. She felt far better knowing she had the support of Adam and her dog to help her through any rough spots that cropped up from here on out, as opposed to being completely alone in dealing with the painful flashbacks and anxiety attacks. "Yeah." she smiled before settling down at the table, where a plate of eggs, toast, fruit and pancakes were waiting for her.

The bounty hunter wasn't sure what dangers lurked down her path to recovery. What she did know, however, was that she was no longer alone in her fight against her demons. She might not have had the biggest support system in one man and a dog, but for Samus, it was better than nothing.

And as long as she had them to help her through the uncertainties of life, she knew she would be all right.


	18. Warning Shot

**Chapter 18: Warning Shot (Day 200)**

* * *

Samus was now in much better spirits after her most recent PTSD flare up a week ago, and as a result, suggested to Adam that he go back to work. Being that Samus was now in her twenty-ninth week of pregnancy, the General was hesitant to take her suggestion to heart and go back to his teaching job and day-to-day operations at Federation Headquarters, knowing the mercenary had a tendency to try and hide the fact she was in pain or in far worse shape than she appeared out of fear of being weak around him. It wasn't the first time something like this had happened... But even he couldn't argue over the fact that she did appear considerably better compared to the day after her last attack, when she looked haggard and on edge. Her eyes looked bright and healthy, she was eating and sleeping regularly and keeping herself busy with Striker, and just had a more tranquil air about her as if she'd finally found peace within herself.

Adam was encouraged by the development, to say the least. But like Samus, he tried to keep his hope for the future in check, knowing things could change in an instant especially when PTSD and anxiety were concerned. He'd seen it before, more times than he would have liked, servicemen and women and veterans acting completely normal one minute, only to start crying or become enraged on account of the sound of an alarm clock or a dog's bark. Most people took these everyday occurrences with a grain of salt and simply went about their day. But to those who suffered with psychological trauma, people like Samus, everyday in itself had the potential to be a struggle.

Nevertheless, Adam forced himself to swallow this most bitter of pills and dressed himself for work this morning.

Samus was fast asleep with Striker in the large bed, the room covered in the gentle light of dawn. Adam hated to have to wake her, but thought it best to do so just in case she awoke to find him gone and unsure of where he'd went. He gently placed his gloved hand on her shoulder. "...Lady." he whispered. The hunter merely stirred a second before snuggling against her pillow and falling back to sleep. Adam repeated himself... Eventually, he managed to rouse her awake long enough to tell her he was leaving for work.

Samus looked up at him with her eyelids half closed. "Okay, now get outta here..." she told him groggily before going back to sleep.

Adam merely smiled before making his way quietly out of the house, en route to Galactic Federation Headquarters.

* * *

Adam came through the automatic double doors on the East side of the large campus some thirty minutes later, as the synthesized female voice of the complex's Aurora Unit spoke overhead, requesting random people report to a random location; Adam had tuned out the voice as soon as he'd come through the doors. More pressing to him was the text message he'd received on his phone just as he was leaving his apartment. The message erased itself as soon as he'd closed it, piquing his interest. It sounded of great importance, which, given his rank, was nothing new to him. But there was just something about it that made him nervous.

Before Adam had a chance to ponder the purpose of the meeting, he made haste for the transport lift. Two of his fellow Generals, one from the Marines, the other from the Army, were already aboard and in the middle of a discussion when Adam came aboard, only to fall silent and give their newcomer colleague a soft nod in acknowledgment.

"General Malkovich." one of them, a rather tall, imposing woman with short, chestnut brown hair and hazel eyes, finally announced.

Adam, stoic, addressed his colleague calmly. "General Fowler."

He turned his focus to the other, a sturdy-looking man with black hair and brown eyes. "General Cordova."

Cordova, a General officer of the Federation Marines, tried to make small talk with his fellow officer. "General Malkovich. Chatty as ever, I see. What say the Oracle this time around?"

General Fowler couldn't help but grin at Cordova's mentioning of the nickname Adam's colleagues had slapped on him years ago when he'd earned his first star. How Adam hated that nickname. It made him sound more important than he considered himself, like he was some kind of military prophet or something else just as ridiculous. He was just a man absorbed by his work, lest he stop even for a moment to think about everything that had brought him to this point in his life – before he'd reunited with Samus, that was.

 _I don't care. Just so long as it isn't those damned Space Pirates again...,_ Adam thought to himself. Like many of his fellow soldiers during the war, Adam hadn't come out of it unscathed. He'd watched good men and women die, and others come from the battlefield as mere shells of their former selves, missing limbs...their minds now forever fractured and haunted by the demons of war. On the outside, Adam had remained nearly impervious to it all, nearly robotic in his mannerisms, a pristine picture of strength surrounded by the gaping maw of war... But he was a broken man on the inside, away from the harsh microscope of the galactic community, haunted by the sacrifices he'd been forced to watch, and the commands he'd been forced to make.

"General?" Cordova asked, bringing Adam from the dark corners of his mind. "Everything all right?"

Adam met the combined gaze of the two Generals, suddenly stoic once more. "Yes." he simply told them before the familiar voice of the Aurora Unit spoke overhead into the cabin, announcing they had reached their destination. The three passengers disembarked from the lift and took a short walk around the circular floor before stopping at a pair of polished steel double doors to have their identifications checked by the pair of military guards at the door. Afterwards, Generals Malkovich, Fowler and Cordova filed into conference room 316 and took a seat at the long glass table.

At the head of the table sat Secretary of Defense Lockhart, an Admiral within the Federation Navy, and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Tavares of the Federation Army, as the final seats around the table were occupied and the doors closed.

Admiral Lockhart stood then, his eyes taking in the sight of the gathered personnel. "At ease." he instructed before continuing his briefing. "Ladies and Gentlemen, I thank you for assembling here on such short notice, but as you all know, the galaxy is in a constant state of change, and we must be forever vigilant in its protection. With that in mind, please take a look at the folder of documents placed before each of you."

Looking at his, Adam felt his interest – and to a certain extent, unease – pique at the large "CLASSIFIED" stamped on it. Being a man in his position, Adam had seen quite a few of these classified documents. It was something that just came with the territory. But nine times out of ten, they were also never a good sign and usually meant something big was happening, or was about to happen.

As Admiral Lockheart resumed his introduction, Adam scanned the first page, a letter of some sort, and felt his unease turn into mild anger and disappointment. _So it's true after all,_ Adam mused to himself with slight disgust. The Titan Corporation and the Galactic Federation Department of Defense had, in fact, renewed their long-standing partnership. There was a part of Adam that didn't want to believe it when he'd initially read it within the electronic pages of the paper earlier in the morning. After the events aboard the Bottle Ship, there was a part of him that had hoped they would have at least acknowledged they'd made a mistake and learned from it...but as he continued to browse through the document, paying special attention to the fact that the two parties had signed what was in essence a lifetime partnership, Adam was already mentally preparing himself for the inevitable chaos to come.

* * *

While General Malkovich was busy discussing the state of the military with his fellow General officers, Samus Aran sat in Dr. Barton's office discussing what had happened to her since her last appointment and how it seemed to get worse the further into her pregnancy she went. While Samus was fairly certain Dr. Barton would tell her the same thing Adam did – that the recovery process was just that, a process – she was starting to become concerned about the effect the flare ups could be having on her son. If they were debilitating to her, she of the seemingly superhuman pain tolerance, what must the attacks have been doing to her child? Samus didn't want to think about it and quickly pushed it from her mind. While breathing and relaxation techniques had helped in easing the brunt of the episodes, they were only a temporary solution and didn't always work in keeping her calm during a flare up.

And medication was still off the table, as much as she despised the thought of having to take them. With her due date approaching and the nightmares and flashbacks increasing, Samus was ready to try anything at this point.

"Are you currently working, Samus?" asked the doctor. "If you are, I think now would be a good time to put in for maternity leave so you are able to focus the entirety of your attention on yourself and your child."

Samus shook her head. She hadn't hunted any bounties or accepted a contract since the Bryyo job. In fact, so much time had passed since her last successful mission she'd begun to wonder if the entire vigilante community thought that maybe she'd done them all a favor and finally died somewhere. But Dr. Barton didn't have to know that. "I'm not working right now, no." she replied simply, not bothering to go into any further details. "And I've tried meditation, deep breathing, relaxation. I've even adopted a dog – who has actually been the only thing that's really worked for me – but I'm still plagued by nightmares on an almost constant basis."

Dr. Barton leaned inward towards the mercenary, a gesture she found to be slightly disconcerting. "Nightmares of your early childhood?" he asked.

Samus distanced herself from the doctor's prying gesture, scooting her chair back a ways. "Sometimes. Most of the time it's been an entirely new nightmare..." Samus could feel her breathing and heart rate increase just thinking about it. "And no, I don't want to talk about it." she added quickly just as she felt her son kick within her, forcing her to touch the spot, hoping the gesture would bring him calm. She gathered the doctor wouldn't be able to understand it even if she drew it out for him on a piece of paper.

Dr. Barton nodded. "I understand. You don't want to put yourself through any unneeded stress at this time. Unfortunately, I'm afraid I can't properly help you until after you've delivered. I can only offer suggestions on ways to cope. I'm sorry, Samus."

"I've tried damn near everything, what else is left?" Samus replied, irritated at the doctor's response. "...Except that. And I didn't get this far in life just to be a coward and take my own life."

The doctor thought long and hard for a minute before a suggestion came from him. "If you are able, I suggest getting as far away from your everyday life as possible. Perhaps you can arrange to have your baby in a place that brings you comfort and inner peace. A sanctuary, if you will."

 _A sanctuary..._ , Samus thought to herself. Perhaps it was purely coincidental that he'd brought up the very same suggestion she had brought up to Adam in recent days regarding where she wanted to give birth to their son. Home had been the obvious choice. They both considered it safe, secure and very private, however, it hadn't been quite where Samus envisioned herself birthing her first child should she ever have to face that possibility, especially now, with the Federation having taken an interest in her personal affairs. She'd been born of the stars and had always felt way more comfortable around them than on any one planet. She relished the peace and quiet of outer space, of her Gunship... But Adam would never agree to birthing their first born aboard the cramped quarters of her Gunship, and the more she thought about it, the sillier it seemed. What wasn't so silly to her, however, was the idea that finally flickered to life in her mind, as bright and intense as the birth of a thousand stars...

Her only hope now was that Adam would see her reasoning and agree.

* * *

Adam Malkovich reached for the pitcher of water closest to him and poured himself a glass of water while he and his fellow officers listened intensely to Secretary of Defense Lockhart's closing remarks on the contact with the Titan Corporation before handing the floor over to General Tavares, who wasted no time in moving on to the next order of business. As an experienced, high-ranking officer of the military, Adam could surmise with nearly absolute certainty that he had spent just as much time engaged in meetings with colleagues and superiors as he'd spent on the battlefield. He'd lost count of all the stuffy, downright boring meetings he'd attended during his career ranks ago, but there was something about this meeting in particular that didn't sit well with him, the contract with Titan not withstanding.

And then it hit him, just like that, with General Tavares' uttering of just a few sentences, the reason for his steadily increasing unease:

"Thanks to the efforts of Titan Space Development Corporation, Eos is now ahead of schedule by half a cycle. In the meantime, 'Project Ares' and 'Project Phoenix' will be maintained by Titan's subsidiary, Biologic, with oversight from both the DoD and Federation Science Bureau..."

Adam tried to distract himself by taking a generous swig of water, his throat suddenly parched, but General Tavares, through no fault of his own, was determined to keep Adam's focus on the subject. "As you may recall, Ares and Phoenix were originally stationed aboard Bottle Ship "Prometheus" during the crisis aboard the vessel. General Malkovich," Tavares focused his attention on Adam, "I do believe you were the CO in charge of operations during the mission, were you not?"

Adam stood, seeing his chance. His chance to speak out against the nightmare the Federation was determined to repeat. "Yes, sir. However, I cannot in good conscience support this new operation, based specifically on what occurred aboard Prometheus. Should we pursue this endeavor, I'm afraid we are destined to repeat the atrocities committed aboard the Prometheus."

General Cordova joined in from across the table, hands folded. "What makes you so certain, General Malkovich? At the time of the incident, the program was still in its infancy. There were bound to be a few growing pains. We've learned a great deal since then."

Adam had to use every ounce of willpower he had in order to keep from lashing out at his fellow General and berate his complete ignorance. "What my men witnessed aboard that ship was far more than mere growing pains, General Cordova. It was a nightmare, one we were fortunate to escape with our lives."

Next to him sat General Fowler, ready to spit venom. "General Malkovich – according to the report, your entire unit was wiped out supposedly by the bioforms aboard the ship, save for the third party who had been sent to accompany you. Bounty hunter, Samus Aran. With her history of being...unstable, it's far more likely that she – not the bioforms aboard the vessel – was responsible for the deaths of your men, though you choose not to grasp this possibility, possibly due in part to your history as her CO during her brief time in the service..."

Adam felt his eyes narrow, his eyebrows furrow, the angry fuse he'd tried so hard to keep quiet suddenly spark at Fowler's claims. "I will not dignify that with an answer, General Fowler. I advise you to stand down."

"I ask that you, General Malkovich and you, General Fowler, both cease and desist." interjected Tavares before focusing his attention to the entire room. "I will take your reservations under advisement, General Malkovich. Until then, operations concerning Ares and Phoenix will continue as planned..."

Adam poured himself another glass of water, wishing he had something to ease the now thunderous pounding in his head.

* * *

Samus had kept the radio on all the way home, not really caring what station she'd turned to on a whim, just that it kept her mind from dwelling on the odd sensations she'd begun to feel in her groin shortly before leaving Dr. Barton's office. But the sensations had disappeared soon after she was on her feet and moving again. Now, however, they were back as she sat in the driver's seat of her hovercar, waiting for the signal to change while the boring voice of a news anchor filled the cabin.

"Not again..." Samus thought out loud as the sharp sensation made its way from her groin up to the top of her hips. Feeling her son pushing up against her lower ribcage only served in furthering her discomfort. "Come on, goddamn it!" she suddenly screamed at the traffic signal at top of her lungs in anger, unsure of what was going on inside her.

Eventually, Samus was able to make it back to her and Adam's apartment. To her frustration, however, the pain soon stopped again once she was able to get up and walk around. She made it up to her floor and promptly made her way down the hall to the apartment, fumbling for the key card in the pocket of her jeans as the tightness erupted in her abdomen again, forcing her to grunt and hold her stomach. Once inside, she paid no attention to Striker as he rushed from the couch to greet her and instead made her way to the comms terminal instead, where she promptly dialed Adam's personal office number. While she waited for him to pick up, assuming he would, Samus looked down at the agouti-colored wolf-dog at her feet and felt herself quickly smile at the sight of his big, fluffy tail wagging a million kilometers an hour. "Yes, I missed you too. Now go sit down." she told the dog quickly before returning her attention to the terminal screen in front of her.

 _Come on, Adam...please pick up_ , she said to herself, unconsciously biting the inside of her mouth as a way to cope with her nervousness. She clamped down hard enough to draw blood, its metallic taste feeling almost calming to her, as she continued to wait for her husband to pick up and help to at least ease some of the sickening bile of fear churning in her stomach. Eventually however, with her message having gone to voice mail, Samus ended the transmission in frustration. "Fuck!" she spat, running one hand through her hair and the other held tight against her stomach. Rather than sit, knowing it would only aggravate her situation, the bounty hunter continued to stand and pace around the room.

"Ok...whether I want to or not, I have to call Dr. Livingston." Samus mused calmly out loud, still walking back and forth across the floor. _Something could be wrong...,_ she thought ominously to herself. Of course she tried to reason with this side of herself – that side that was always on edge, expecting inevitable catastrophe to befall her any second – by telling herself her abdominal pains were probably nothing out of the ordinary, that they happened to every pregnant woman at some point...that her son was still healthy and safe within her. _I'm sure everything is just fine..._

As she input the number of her doctor, however, Samus prepared herself for the worst. Just in case...

Meanwhile, Adam and his colleagues were making their way out of the newly finished meeting, documents in hand. The lengthy discussion, as usual, had done nothing to ease Adam's concerns over where the Federation was heading. And with the political climate rapidly changing thanks to the recent war against the Space Pirates to a more "strike first, ask questions later" sort of mentality amongst the galactic community, especially within the Federation government itself, Adam couldn't help but wonder how much longer he would be able to show the Federation his allegiance against the apparent evils of the universe. In some ways – a lot of ways - Adam considered them to be no better than those damned Space Pirates, always lusting for power and control, and an insatiable thirst for knowledge, even if the acquisition of such knowledge led to the death and destruction of galactic civilization itself. Just how much longer, he reasoned, would he be able to fight for those who were, in essence, no better than those they'd fought against?

Adam questioned this as he stepped into the Mens room to relieve himself, not noticing the other man standing next to him. His wife was, for all intents and purposes, a weapon of war, a weapon the Federation had utilized time and time again. She had been the driving force during the war and tasked with the most impossible missions. Yet, they refused to treat her like the same people she'd fought so hard to defend, instead labeling her as unstable and a liability to their greater future. How much longer could he go on like this, torn between duty to what was, in the grand scheme of things, his enemy, and the one person standing in their way to omnipotence?

At the row of stainless steel sinks, Adam held his hands under the automatic soap dispenser and rubbed them together underneath the warm running water as the other man, another four-star General by the looks of his uniform, with grayish brown hair and brown eyes, joined him.

"...I heard your little confrontation with General Fowler, sir. About that bounty hunter, Samus Aran."

"And?" Adam replied, still scrubbing his hands. "What are you getting at, sir?"

The other man brought his hands from underneath the faucet and shook them once before grabbing a paper towel to dry his hands. "And..." the other General replied, staring Adam down, "If you were wise, you would distance yourself from her as much as humanely possible, General Malkovich. Her history alone should be a red flag that she's an unstable liability to this organization."

Adam dried his hands, stoic. "What makes you so certain I willingly associate with her, General Robertson?"

"There's a rumor going around that you were spotted with her recently...apparently, she got knocked up somewhere along the line, and now, for whatever reason, you're trying to assume the role of the little bastard's father. And, well, given your history of ceaselessly defending her while she was enlisted here, some are beginning to speculate where your allegiance really lies, General Malkovich..."

Adam glared at the other man coldly. "Perhaps you shouldn't believe everything you read to be fact, General Robertson. I can assure you whatever you've heard is just that, a rumor."

"Perhaps..." Robertson replied before making his way to the automatic door. He gave Adam a look of cold calculation. "If you really believe in our cause, General Malkovich, you'll stay away from her. Otherwise..."

Adam narrowed his eyes. They grew dark underneath the brim of his hat. "Otherwise? That sounds like a threat..."

A cockeyed grin curved one side of the other General's mouth. "Not a threat, General...but if you wish to remain here...consider this your only warning..."

Adam kept his eyes fixed and narrowed on the other man until he was no longer present before making his own way back to his office.

He'd barely gotten through the door when his phone started going off in the back pocket of his white slacks for the third time, the last two of which he'd been unable to acknowledge due to prior commitments – Adam wasted no time in reaching for his phone and promptly answered it.

"Adam? Where the fuck have you been? I've been trying to contact you for close to two hours!"

The voice sounded angry yet familiar. Adam's interest immediately piqued at the way it also, strangely, sounded stressed and afraid. "Samus? Slow down, okay? What's wrong?" Adam replied calmly as he made his way to the brown leather chair at his deep mahogany desk and had a seat. He listened as Samus spoke, the red lights of alarm growing brighter and more frequent in his head. "...Ok. Ok, slow down, Samus. You did right to notify Dr. Livingston, yes..." He stood then, unable to sit no longer, and immediately made a dash from the door, phone still in hand. "Samus, I want you to try and stay calm, OK? Don't move from where you are, just wait for her to get there – I'll be home soon!" He nodded as the conversation continued briefly in the hallway, earning him a few sideways glances from passerby personnel.. "Yes, Lady..." Adam stopped at an empty transport and stepped inside. "I love you, too..."

Once he reached the ground floor, Adam made haste for home.


	19. False Alarm

**Chapter 19: False Alarm (Day 200)**

* * *

Adam quickly entered the apartment to find Samus lying on the couch with her shirt pulled up over the swell of her stomach while her doctor examined her. "Samus!" he called and rushed to join her.

"Adam!" Samus exclaimed and attempted to sit up. "...You made it."

Adam was quick to keep her stationary by blocking her with his outstretched arm as he caught his breath. "Easy there. Let me come to you." he advised calmly before taking to her side and his knees. He instantly felt her strong arms encircle his neck."I'm sorry I'm late." he told her gently.

Samus held him closer. Even though she felt extremely vulnerable by showing Adam such affection in the presence of another person, she found herself unable to express herself any other way. "No, no. You came just in time; the doctor just finished the ultrasound. But it's probably better if you hear it from her. I'm too much of a wreck to think straight, much less talk." she chuckled nervously.

Adam kissed her cheek before coming from her to address the doctor, his features dark and intense under the shadows from the sidetable lamp. "Is everything all right?"

Contrary to the quiet red lights going off inside his head, Adam found the doctor to be quite nonchalant about the whole thing, which he found to be oddly reassuring. Then again, she was probably used to dealing with this kind of situation on a daily basis. "After an extensive examination of both your wife and the baby, I can positively confirm that what your wife was experiencing wasn't preterm labor, but a combination of Braxton-Hicks and round ligament pain due most likely to recent or prolonged stress; she explained what has been happening with her lately in regards to her mental health and it's my medical opinion the two symptoms are directly related to the increase in stress. However, I think you'll be relieved to know both of these are quite common at this stage, Mr. Malkovich. Regardless of the woman's mental health."

Adam felt a genuine exhalation of relief escape him. "Good, that's good. So nothing is really out of the ordinary, then."

Dr. Livingston smiled warmly at him. "That's right. Samus is just fine. Baby is developing normally. Everything is as it should be at this particular stage." The doctor began to pack the small attache case of supplies she'd brought with her, attention having turned to Samus. "So, in short Samus, just keep going about your day-to-day activities, get plenty of rest, avoid stress and psychological triggers if possible and treat round ligament pain as needed. Do either of you have any questions or concerns?"

Samus and Adam looked at each other for a moment, seeing who would break first.

Samus's curiosity ended up finally getting the best of her. "What exactly is false labor, doctor?"

What Dr. Livingston knew about obstetrics and gynecology could fill a large textbook or two. Unfortunately, most of it was over the head of the average layman and didn't exactly make for engaging conversation. She kept her answer brief for the sake of her patient, explaining that false labor, what most called Braxton-Hicks contractions for unknown reasons, were basically the body's way of preparing itself for birth. Despite her rough exterior and coarse reputation, Samus couldn't help but feel slightly intimidated by the thought of having to birth something the size of a watermelon from something the size of a small hole.

"Don't worry, Samus. What you're feeling is very normal, especially for first-timers. All you have to do Is listen to your body. Let it be your guide. You'll be surprised at what it can do." the doctor noted with a soft smile and gentle touch upon the bounty hunter's shoulder. "Any other questions?"

It was Adam's turn next. "As he gets stronger, his movements shouldn't cause any harm to Samus, right? I only ask because he's quite strong already."

The doctor closed the locking tabs on the supply case and smiled. "I can assure you no physical harm will come to Samus as the baby continues to grow, save for the occasional kick to the ribs, but that's normal. Uncomfortable, but normal." she chuckled.

 _Too late. He already likes to use my ribs as a punching bag_ , Samus thought to herself as the doctor prepared to leave. Adam helped to see her out. At the doorway, she offered final good-byes and instruction. "Remember Samus. Just relax and take it easy. Enjoy this time as much as you can, together with your partner if possible. I'll see you two weeks from now. Have a wonderful evening."

After issuing a final goodbye to the doctor, Adam watched the front door slide closed before rejoining his wife on the far side of the couch. He'd never felt more relieved in his life now that he knew both his wife and son were doing just fine. He took off his formal hat and placed it on the glass coffee table, only to lace his fingers through Samus's own.

She was grinning but looked just as relieved as he felt. "That...scared the shit out of me." remarked the hunter.

"You and me both, Lady." he replied, closing the short distance between them "I just wish you would have told me you weren't feeling well. I could have made arrangements to stay with you indefinitely."

Samus brushed him off, knowing the man had more or less made a career out of worrying about her. "It's okay, Adam. I'm okay." she gripped his chin and puckered her lips together as if she were sucking a lemon. "Don't worry that pretty little head of yours." she cooed.

Adam chuckled before moving his hand to rest against her abdomen. "I would, Lady. But I'll be damned if you don't make it damn near impossible not to worry about you."

"Yes, I only do it to spite you, Adam Malkovich," replied the hunter sarcastically. Samus attempted to sit up and insisted that Adam not help her, but by the fourth attempt, she strangely found herself breathless and tired and finally gave in. Adam gently helped her into an upright position on the couch before rejoining her. "Thanks," she said breathlessly before placing her hands over her son and speaking to him. "And you in there, consider yourself the only being in existence able to make the claim of being able to wear me out. Psychological disorders, perpetual planet-hopping and scary space dragons not withstanding."

Adam chuckled as he leaned in to her stomach. "Yes. It is quite the honor. Cherish it always, squirt."

They sat on the couch for the next several hours, just talking and enjoying each others company, neither of them still able to believe that their son would be here with them in a two short months. It seemed like only yesterday that Samus Aran, famed bounty hunter, feared mercenary and proclaimed Protector of the Galaxy, had found out she was expecting the child of one of the military's leading Generals. It had an almost surreal, fairy-tale quality to it. The General and the Mercenary... But it had hardly been happily ever after in getting to this point. That wasn't to say it had been all bad. Save for a few rough instances, the journey in getting here had felt rather nice to the mercenary. Though, it was certainly different from what she was used to, going from planet to planet in search of bounties and danger, that much she knew even if the path hadn't always been the most clear to her sometimes.

She had a life outside of her work now. She had people who loved and supported her, people she knew would be there waiting for her when she came back from a mission. Up until now, she hadn't given much thought to whether or not she made it out of a mission alive. Should the mission become one of dire straits, she wouldn't have thought twice about sacrificing herself in order to make sure peace prevailed. It's what she'd been trained to accept since early childhood. After all, it wasn't like she had a family or home to return to. Sure, the galaxy would mourn (or praise) her death for a little while before quickly moving on, but that was it. She would quickly become a distant memory in the fabric of the universe.

But it was different now. So incredibly different.

"I have something I'd like to talk to you about, Adam," Samus eventually said. "Something important."

Adam remained open. "Sure. I'm listening."

Samus bit the inside of her lip, a tad anxious. "...I've been thinking about what Dr. Barton suggested to me today during out appointment..."

"Oh?" Adam replied, curious. "What did he suggest?"

Samus continued to nibble on her lip. "He...told me I should try to give birth in my own special sanctuary. And given everything that's happened recently, including today," the hunter sighed, exasperated, "especially today... I'm worried about the effect all this stress is having on my body and the baby. Really worried. I want to have a quiet birth."

"I understand. I am, too." Adam's hand began to rub in small circles around her mid-section. "But there's not much we can do except try to follow Dr. Livingston's advice until the baby comes...Unless..." The room suddenly grew quiet as Adam was struck by an idea. "You said Dr. Barton suggested that you try to arrange to give birth in a place that brings you peace, right?"

Samus nodded. "That's right."

Adam regarded her very seriously as their hands joined. "I know you, Lady. And I know this," he gestured around the room, "isn't the place you had in mind to have our son. And since you you were born of the stars, why then shouldn't our son be as well?"

The hunter's interest piqued with interest. "Adam... Are you suggesting what I think you are?"

"Yes, Lady. That's exactly what I'm suggesting," smiled Adam. "Not aboard your Gunship though. On a planet. One very near and dear to your heart..."

The mercenary's eyes lit up, knowing immediately which planet he'd cryptically referred to. "...Adam...!" she gasped before drawing her arms around him to pull him into an embrace. She kissed him fiercely in acknowledgment. Moments later, she broke away to draw a much-needed breath, hoping it would slow the excited beating of her heart. "...A-Are you sure about this?" she stammered.

Adam simply smiled. "Yes, Lady. Absolutely. I've been thinking about it ever since we married there, how you looked – and felt – so at ease. It was like you had become a completely different person." The General's smile soon faded as he continued, "And with the baby coming soon, I worry, as you do, about the amount of stress you've been under recently."

"That I don't disagree with," Samus replied, "but what about work?"

"Not to worry, Lady. It's already been taken care of." Adam replied.

Samus attempted to remain in control of herself, but the happiness and excitement building within her soon became too much and came out in the form of tears. It was the first time she hadn't immediately blamed her hormones for such an emotional outburst since becoming pregnant, and the willful release of such emotion felt immensely strange and almost inappropriate to the bounty hunter, who was used to keeping a tight lid on her more positive emotions, as they had no place in her line of work. She snuggled deep against Adam's broad shoulder, her tears dotting the ornate blue and gold collar of his uniform. "Adam... I love you." said the hunter through happy tears.

The General combed his fingers through the bounty hunter's long blond pony tail. "I love you too, Samus." he smiled softly before closing his eyes and savoring the warmth of her body.

"So when do we depart?" she asked excitedly while wiping her eyes.

"Whenever you're ready, my Lady," Adam replied behind a grin. "However, if I may make a suggestion?"

"Shoot."

"I'd like you to try to wait until after you've seen Dr. Livingston two weeks from now. Just to make sure everything is still all right. Can you do that for me, Lady?"

"I can't promise anything, but I will try."

"That's all I ask." Adam replied before giving her lips a quick peck. "You must both be starving." he noted before coming to his feet. "What will it be tonight?"

* * *

That night, sometime during the late evening, as the blankets of sleep enveloped him, Adam was suddenly roused awake by the thumping footsteps of his wife as she moved through the bedroom and down the hall. Pregnancy had changed everything about her, even the way she walked; her gait had now become as pronounced as her stomach. Once stealth-like, her steps now sounded deliberate and heavy. She'd also developed a more pronounced waddle whenever ambulatory, which Adam secretly thought to be quite adorable.

In the silence of the bedroom, he continued to listen to her footsteps and determined she was heading for the kitchen. Opening the refrigerator door, then quickly closing it... Rummaging through the cupboards in her haphazard way. Although he could guess what her intentions were, the curious side of him demanded that he get up to investigate.

In the living room, he caught her coming out of the kitchen, holding a pickle in one hand and a jar of strawberry jelly in the other.

 _I knew it. Cravings_ , he said to himself knowingly. They seemed to change from day-to-day and even hour-to-hour. If she wasn't craving a particular food at a given time, she was having aversions to another. "Hello there." he said casually. He took a moment to drink in the look of surprise on her face. "What's on the midnight menu tonight, Lady?"

Samus looked down at the food in each hand and attempted to play coy. "Oh, it's not for me. The little etecoon is hungry."

"Right. He just happens to want a pickle with some jelly on it." he chuckled in amusement.

The sweet smell stemming from the jar in her left hand made Samus's mouth water, but she tried to block it from her senses in an attempt to remain covert. "I know what you're trying to do, Adam." she warned somewhat nonchalantly and made her way to the sofa. "Not going to work." she added and carefully sat down.

Adam continued to play along as he entered the kitchen and took a glass from the cupboard. "Not sure what you mean by that, but all right." he replied and turned on the faucet. Seconds later, with his glass full, he turned the faucet off and immediately heard discreet crunching noises coming from the living room.

He looked in on her as she was just about to uncouthly dip the bitten pickle in the jar again and cleared his throat. Samus immediately pulled her hand back in a way that reminded Adam of a child getting caught with their hand in the cookie jar. "Right. So I take it that was the baby who was making those crunching noises I just heard?" he asked casually before bringing the glass to his lips to drink. He moved to the drawer where the silverware was kept and pulled out a spoon. "And aren't you forgetting something?" he asked while wiggling the spoon in his grip.

Knowing she had been caught, Samus admitted defeat. "Okay, it's for me! There, are you satisfied? Been driving me crazy. I can't explain it." Samus noticed the spoon in his hand, "Shit, I knew I forgot something."

Adam set his glass down on the side table and joined her on the sofa. Samus took the spoon from him. "As long as it makes you happy, then yes." he acknowledged while looking at the half-eaten pickle with bits of jelly on it and gave a perplexed shake of his head. "You're certainly a strange one, Lady. Is that even any good?"

"Delicious." she replied and offered him a bite. "Want some?"

He raised a hand. "Oh, no. You go ahead. I just came out here for a glass of water." he replied, standing. "You should try to get some sleep, too, Samus."

"And to be nosy. Don't forget nosy." Samus added before spooning a glob of jelly onto her pickle.

He stood behind the sofa and bent to kiss the top of her head, laughing softly. "Right. Get some sleep, Lady."


	20. Dreams

**Author's Notes: Hope you all are enjoying the story thus far. I'm overjoyed by all the feedback I've received. I really appreciate it. Helps to keep me going. It's my hope that you will continue to enjoy the story going forward.**

 **Just a quick heads up, this chapter contains moments of intimacy, graphic imagery, and lots of fluff. ;)**

 **Chapter 20: Dreams (Day 207)**

* * *

 _Samus Aran braced herself against the surface of the bed, bent at the waist, her naked hips swaying slowly from side to side in an attempt to ease the pain of the current contraction. Adam rushed to join her, his arm finding its way around her shoulder as she continued to vocalize her pain._

" _A-Adam. Sorry for waking you," she said quickly before deeply exhaling. "But I needed you."_

 _She felt her tightly coiled body draw itself in even more, followed by more grunting and deep, purposeful breathing._

 _Her contractions had escalated in their natural way and were now quite strong, very painful, and quite frequent. It was only a matter of time now. Between the pain, Samus heard Adam's calming voice coaching her through this latest flurry, "I'm here, Lady. Listen, you're doing great, okay? Just keep focusing on your breathing. Do whatever you have to to get through this, okay?"_

" _Adam...it hurts..so much." Samus said between deep breaths, grunting, and not caring she'd just admitted her vulnerability. She came from her bent position briefly, only to bring her tired arms around Adam's neck; his arms encircled her gently in order to keep her able to freely move as she saw fit. And then something clicked, unseen, within her just as the latest contraction was ebbing. Her pelvis suddenly felt incredibly heavy with a pressure that was almost palpable. Her cervix soon erupted with an unmistakable sensation. "I...I think..." she strained, suddenly clutching his arms; Adam felt her move into a squatting position and adjusted his position accordingly, now supporting her from behind. A grunt forced itself from her throat, "I feel like I need to push, Adam; he's coming."_

 _Her breathing was coming fast now._

 _She felt Adam kiss her shoulder as it heaved. "We're all here for you, Lady. Just let your body guide you." he suggested gently._

 _Samus nodded briefly then attempted to focus on breathing as she bared down. A sudden, white-hot bolt of pain filled her body as the baby's head slowly began to stretch her from the inside out. She quickly refilled and emptied her lungs as the pain coursed through her like searing magma._

 _Samus breathed deeply, her eyes closed and mind trying to focus on anything but the searing pain burning her from the inside out. She felt a kiss from Adam to her temple, then heard him speak to her in soothing support. "I'm so proud of you, Lady. You can do this, I know you can."_

 _She drew one final deep breath in preparation for what was to be the most painful moment of her entire adult life; as she bared down, a scream nothing short of agony tore raw and bloody from her throat, the burning sensation within her rapidly changing into a feeling of being torn from the inside out as the baby's head slowly emerged from within her._

 _Again, she felt her husband kiss her shoulder in a show of loving support. "That's it, Lady. You're doing great."_

 _"_ _A-Adam..." she said, panting. Sweat dripped down her face and into her eyes, causing them to burn, yet Samus remained focused, drawing upon her friend and husband to give her the strength to see this through. It had taken her so long to get to this point, and she was so, so tired. Her labor had lasted hours, possibly days. She had lost count of how many hours her labor had lasted. The journey had lasted months and hadn't always been easy. And now she was so close to the finish line she could taste it. She felt Adam kiss her cheek and attempted to smile despite the pain._ _"_ _I...I love you."_

 _Adam kissed her temple again, then nuzzled her cheek. "I love you, Lady. You can do this. I'm right here. The Luminoth are here. Old Bird is here. We're all here for you. Give us one more big push." he said softly._

 _Samus nodded weakly before generating another strong contraction of her muscles; Samus drew another deep breath, her body telling her this was to be the final pushes before finally being able to meet her son; she summoned what was left of her strength and will and allowed her body to release one final, exhausting torrent of strength; behind closed eyes and screaming, she heard the sudden, high-pitched cries of an infant._

 _Upon opening her eyes, Samus felt her heart swell with shock and sickening horror as Adam held the freshly birthed infant with its umbilical cord still attached and dangling from within her. The world around her suddenly froze. Her mouth drew agape, eyes growing wide as she continued to stare at the abomination covered in blood and amniotic fluid._

 _She attempted to scream, but nothing, not even a whimper, would come from her._

 _Staring at her, with those malevolent amber eyes, was the devil himself._

 _A single scream, more bloodcurdling than death itself, echoed throughout the known universe._

* * *

Adam felt his eyes bolt open upon hearing the hysterical screaming of his wife as she lay next to him in the throes of a nightmare, tossing and turning rapidly despite her increased girth; even in the dim glow of the nearby lamp, he seen a subtle sheen of sweat on her face, neck and chest.

He quickly attempted to bring her from her own personal hell. "Samus! Samus, wake up!" he called while gently holding her body steady so she wouldn't hurt herself. He heard her scream in terror again before witnessing her eyes open big and wide as saucers, her chest rapidly heaving as her lungs starved for air. Adam released her arms and helped her to sit up; his hands finding the roundness of her shoulders and gently squeezing. His steel-gray eyes never left her terrified face. "You were just having a nightmare, all right? It was just a dream; you're awake now, OK? Just relax."

Samus held her belly with shaking hands. "I-It h-happened...again, Adam." she said behind a flurry of tears and trembling. He gently hushed her as the tears continued to stream down her cheeks. No explanation was needed. He knew exactly what she was referring to. "I know, Lady. I know. But it's all over now, all right? I'm here," he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead to assure her the nightmare was over, "And I'm not going anywhere."

"H-He just looked...at me...with those eyes." she replied, trembling.

Adam continued to reassure her in soothing tones. "It's all over now. Just relax. Breathe."

He guided her into his arms. He felt her body shaking against him, and held her tighter, never feeling so helpless. He wanted nothing more than to rid her of the demon that still lingered in her mind and terrified her in dreams. But how did one attack an enemy they couldn't see, or refused to die? It was a question not even his years of military service and experience could answer truthfully. It couldn't be destroyed by weapons, much less detectable via radar. Yet it was much too dangerous to ignore, yet he could do nothing about it. For the first time in his life, Adam felt truly lost. All he could do, he decided, was to just continue to be there for Samus, to love her, and protect her with every fiber of his mortal being until the nightmare lingered no more.

"But...what if he's not truly dead, Adam? What if the Federation clones him again, and keeps cloning him...until they have an entire army of the fucking bastard that they can command at will?! Then what?!"

For the first time in a long while, Adam found himself unable to speak, unable to reassure the mercenary that things such as an army of powerful space dragons were merely the product of dreams in one's mind. They couldn't ever possibly happen... But given the meeting of the other day, suddenly Adam wasn't so sure that a space dragon army _wasn't_ possible - given the new contract with Titan, and the Federation growing more volatile and hungry for power...who was he to say with certainty that they would never try such a thing? It was a thought that chilled him to the depths of his soul.

Even still, the General attempted to quell the mercenary's frantic thoughts, "Then we'll fight. Just like we've always done. But Lady, it's a minuscule possibility that they could ever succeed in such a grand scale. You've just had a nightmare and you're vulnerable to these kind of kinds of worst case scenario thoughts. It's important that you don't work yourself into hysteria, OK? I want you to just look at me and breathe, push those thoughts from your mind."

Minutes went by in their quiet way while he merely held her within the silence of their bedroom. Eventually, Samus's body uncoiled with every deep, slow breath and gentle reassurance from the only man she ever sought comfort from. And deeper still from every strong and healthy kick she felt from within her womb; every one of them filled with the reassurance that there was, in fact, a healthy – human – baby growing inside of her. Not a vile, demented beast born from the bowels of evil itself. She pushed back the doomsday thoughts, instead focusing on the future ahead with Adam and their son by her side. Eventually, she cupped Adam's face in her hands. They were no longer feeble and shaking, but strong and confident. She found his gaze with her blue-green eyes. "Thank you, Adam. For always being there for me. I love you."

"I love you too, Samus." he replied with a smile and a kiss to her lips. One of his hands came from behind her back to rest against her very pregnant stomach as it rippled with sudden movement; he wasn't sure, but Adam thought he'd just seen the outline of his son's foot against the taut skin of his mother's belly, if even for a split second. He heard Samus gasp suddenly, knowing it was due to feeling the distinct movements of their son as he lay restless within her womb.

A moment of silence followed as they continued to hold each other within the stillness of the night. Finally, and a bit pensively, "...He's almost here, Adam. And I'm having doubts about myself. Again. It scares me."

Adam gently kissed her forehead. "It's human to have doubts, Lady. It's what makes us who we are. To feel these things is to be human. But we're in this together, OK? I'll be there every step of the way."

"I wouldn't want it any other way, Adam." Samus smiled softly before pulling the General in for a kiss.

Adam's strong arms found their way around her waist as the kiss lingered; he slowly pulled her down to the bed's surface along with him, their mouths continuing to explore one another; Samus slipped through Adam's embrace, only to resurface on top of him and pin his arms over his head, wearing a decidedly sultry grin on her face.

Adam looked up at her, intrigued. When he went to voice it, however, he found himself unable to speak. But it wasn't really necessary, not right now, that much he could see in the way her blue-green eyes yearned for the contact between their bodies, and the reassurance that she was, in fact, alive and no longer in the festering pit of a nightmare. The look on her face had grown tender, longing and open. Her body language, too – hell, her body itself – was telling him she'd once again let down her guard for him and him alone.

Still holding Adam by his wrists, Samus lowered herself as much as her belly would allow and held his gaze. "Adam..." she said gently before taking hold of his strong hands and guiding them to rest gently against her breasts. "I need you."

Knowing how sensitive they were at this point, Adam was careful with his handling of her breasts as he cupped them. He sat up to kiss her passionately before carefully releasing her breasts and moving to rest his big, strong hands against her hips. "...Lady. Are you sure...?"

Samus took hold of his hands again. "...Yes, Adam. I...I need to know I'm alive."

Adam was unsure how to reply, the words unable to form in his head. Instead, he unlaced his fingers from Samus's hands, only to grip the hem of her tank top and pull the garment up slowly over her head and toss it into the darkness. Adam proceeded to remove the hunter of her bra, his mouth coming in to suckle the flesh of her sternum and insides of her voluminous breasts. His ears were quickly treated to the sounds of his wife gasping and moaning as he continued to trace his mouth along her strong neck and chest, stopping only to take in small gulps of air.

Samus winced, caught between pleasure and pain, as Adam took her left nipple into his mouth. She held back a small yelp as her hands combed through his midnight black hair. As Adam continued to savor her every inch, Samus felt herself becoming more and more aware of the carnal feeling building, pulsating, between her legs. "M-more..."

As they fed off of one another and continued to explore with their mouths, Adam and Samus were becoming more and more aware of themselves and the feeling, the yearning, to become a single entity as their naked bodies melted together. Adam grunted against her neck, feeling himself become rigid. "A-Are you ready...Lady?" he asked before reluctantly pulling away from his wife to rest back on his forearms and elbows. He wasn't sure how long he'd be able to remain erect, given his current perspective; he was able to see Samus so clearly from here, beneath her, in all her beauty. From the way her breasts, with their dark areola and erect nipples, looked so full and voluptuous, to her heavily pregnant stomach and its line of darkened pigment that ran from her convex navel to her pubic area. She looked absolutely radiant.

Samus held his smoldering gaze with her own, sensing that she was ready to receive him in his entirety. Truth be told, she had been ready for this moment – or something close to it – for months now. How she'd wanted Adam so badly. It nearly made her cry in frustration over the way her body constantly seemed to betray her. But not tonight. Tonight, on the clipped wings of a nightmare, she would finally soothe her savage beast. "I'm ready..."

Adam watched as Samus crawled back to line herself up with his manhood, her breasts swaying subtly back and forth and looking ever so perfect in the dim lighting. When she deemed herself ready, Adam could only watch as Samus opened her legs and carefully lowered herself onto his erection; she winced at the sharp, but brief, sensation of being stretched and took a moment to just sit and enjoy his warmth within her.

Adam thrust his head back deep into the pillow, feeling her interior walls contracted sharply around his manhood. He closed his eyes and grunted her name passionately before asking about her comfort.

Samus found his concern endearing. Even during a time like this, he still made a conscious effort to be there for her. She gave a quick, breathless nod before placing her hands on his chest and began to thrust her hips up and down. Adam's hands found hers and became firmly intertwined.

Uneven at first, their rhythm soon collided and became more fluid, their bodies now moving in perfect harmony against one another. Sounds of their lovemaking were the only source of vocalization, the thunderous beating of their hearts providing the rhythm to the song of their overdue consummation. Words were no longer necessary at this point, and even the world itself seemed to become oblivious around them as their bodies became one.

They could feel each other inching toward the brink, their movements becoming more deliberate and swift. They lay whole, bathed in a light sheen of perspiration and exhaustion, neither of them unwilling to give an inch until climax was absolute. Samus felt herself grin, watching Adam's eyebrows contort into an intense frown as if he'd sensed himself inching closer to the brink just a bit faster than she was.

 _Checkmate_ , she told herself as she felt his hips start to slip, then finally buckle as he came within her. She smiled, Adam's heavy breathing music to her ears.

When he opened his eyes, spent, breathless and expecting to see Samus collapsed next to him, Adam was surprised to find her still sitting atop his exhausted body with eyes closed, one hand pinching her nipple and the other furiously stroking herself beneath her belly. Words had all but escaped him, and all he could do at this point was watch her fingers move tactfully around her breast and up and down her clitoris. Watching Samus, so beautiful in her current state, it was all Adam could do to exercise restraint; while he couldn't speak for most human males, he found himself oddly content over the fact that his wife had taken it upon herself to finish what he'd started.

He heard something akin to a grunt moments later give way to heavy breathing. Then felt her arm drape over his chest; her other hand came to rest against the side of her belly. "Where in the world did you learn do that, Lady?" he asked behind a wide and content smile. "That was incredible."

Samus kissed his cheek, still catching her breath. "I'll never tell. Then I'd have to kill you." she chuckled.

Adam, too, chuckled in his throat as his eyelids grew heavy. "Fair enough." He turned to look at her and placed a kiss on her lips. "...Are you going to be all right?"

Samus snuggled against Adam's chest and closed her eyes. She was unsure how to answer that question, knowing the nightmare could return yet again once she fell asleep. She attempted to remain optimistic despite her unease. "...I think so." She took a deep breath. "But...just in case it happens again...don't let go."

Adam kissed the top of her head. "I'll hold you all night, if that's what it takes. Don't worry. Goodnight, Lady."

"Goodnight, Adam."

Samus closed her eyes and hurried to join him in sleep, confident that her nightmare had finally, truly, been vanquished.

But should it return, she would be ready.

They would be ready.


End file.
